SB 

945 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

BDREAH OF ENTOMOLOGY BULLETIN No. 87. 

L. O. HOWARD. EnlomoloeisI and Chief o( Buieau. 



REPORT ON THE FIELD WORK AGAINST 

THE GIPSY MOTH AND THE 

BROAVN-TAIL MOTH. 



D. M. ROGERS, 

Special Field Agent, 

AND 

A. F. BURGESS, 

Expert in Charge of Breeding Experiments. 



Issued August 13, 1910. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1910. 




Qass ^B 3 4 5 

Book . G 3 1? 7 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate I. 




The Gipsy Moth (Porthetria dispar). 

Fig. 1.— Male moth. Fig. 2.— Ftmale moth. Fig. 3.— Male pupa. Fig. 4.— Female pupa. Fig. 5.- 
Egg cluster. Fig. 6.— Caterpillars; the largest are less than half grown. (Original.) 



^ 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

I' BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY -BULLETIN No. 87. 

L. O. HOWARD. Entomologist and Chief ot Bureau. 



REPORT ON THE FIELD WORK AGAINST 
THE GIPSY MOTH AND THE 

BROWN-TAIL MOTH. a ^ 



dAm./rogers, 

Special Field Agent, 



A. F. BURGESS, 

Expert in Change of Breeding Experiments. 



Issued August 13, 1910. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 
1910. 



^^jV 



4 



\ 
\ \ 



^A 



'^''^"^ 



B UREA U OF ENTOMOLOGY. 

L. O. Howard, Entomologist and Chief of Bureau. 

C. L. Marlatt, Assistant Entomologist and Acting Chief in Absence of Chief. 

R. S. Clifton, Executive Assistant. 

W. F. Tastet, Chief Clerk. 

F. H. Chittenden, in charge of truck crop and stored product insect investigations. 

A. D. Hopkins, in charge of forest insect investigations. 

W. D. Hunter, in charge of southern field crop insect investigations. 

F. M. Webster, in charge of cereal and forage insect investigations. 

A. L. Quaintance, in charge of deciduous fruit insect investigations. 

E. F. Phillips, in charge of bee culture. 

D. M. RoGE-RS, in charge of preventing spread of moths, Jield work. 

RoLLA P. CvRRiE, in charge of editorial work. 

Mabel Colcord, librarian. 

Preventing Spread of Moths. 

parasite laboratory. 

W. F. FisKE, in charge; A. F. Burgess, H. S. Smith, W. R. Thompson, C. W. Col- 
lins, P. H. Timberlake, R. Wooldridge, assistants. 

field work. 

D. M. Rogers, in charge; H. B. Dalton, Thomas W. Bowmar, H. W. Vinton, 
D. G. Murphy, I. L. Bailey, H. L. McIntyre, assistants. 
2 



AUG S6 laiu 



to 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

Bureau of Entomology, 
Washington, D. C, Aprils, 1910. 
Sir: The only accounts so far published by the Department 
of the large-scale work which is being carried on under congressional 
appropriations in the effort to limit the farther spread of the gipsy 
moth and the brown-tail moth in New England have been brief 
statements in the annual reports of the Chief of the Bureau of Ento- 
mology. The work has now reached such a stage that a comprehen- 
sive account of the work accomplished, the methods of work, and 
present conditions, is demanded. I therefore have the honor to 
submit for publication the accomi^anying manuscript, which includes 
a report on the field work for preventing the spread of the gipsy moth 
and the brown-tail moth, and which has been prepared l)y Messrs. 
D. M. Rogers and A. F. Burgess, of this Bureau. This report does 
not include a consideration of the efforts made to import and accli- 
matize the European and Japanese parasites of the gipsy moth and 
the brown-tail moth. That matter will be described in another 
bulletin. I recommend that the accompanying manuscript be pub- 
lished as Bulletin No. 87 of this Bureau. 
. Respectfully, 

L. O. Howard, 
Entomologist and Chief of Bureau. 
Hon. James Wilson, 

Secretary of Agriculture. 

3 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction 9 

Importance of the gipsy moth as an insect pest in this country 9 

State work against the gipsy moth in Massachusetts, 1890-1900 11 

Record of the gipsy moth in its native home 11 

Life history of the gipsy moth 12 

The eggs 12 

The larvEe 13 

The pupa? 15 

The adults '. 16 

Methods employed in work against the gipsy moth 16 

Scouting 16 

Spraying 17 

Burlapping 17 

Sticky bands 18 

Cutting and burning 18 

Pruning 19 

Treating egg clusters 19 

Discovery of the brown-tail moth in America 20 

European history of the brown-tail moth 21 

Life history of the brown-tail moth 21 

The eggs 21 

The larva? 21 

The pupa; 22 

The adults 23 

Poisoning effect of brown-tail hairs 24 

Natural enemies of the gipsy and brown-tail moths native to America 26 

Progress of the state work in Massachusetts, 1890-1900 27 

Discontinuance of the state work in Massachusetts 28 

Conditions in the infested territory at the .close of the state work 29 

Funds expended by the State during the progress of the work 29 

Results of discontinuance of the work 30 

State work resumed in Massachusetts 31 

Beginning of work by the National Government 37 

Work l)y the State of Massachusetts 47 

Work in the State of Maine 50 

Work in the State of New Hampshire 53 

Work in the State of Rhode Island 54 

Work in the State of Connecticut 56 

Inspection of lumber and forest products 51 

Danger of introducing the gipsy moth and brown-tail moth from foreign coun- 
tries.. 60 

Experimental work in the control of the gipsy and brown-tail moths 62 

5 



6 FIELD WOEK AGAINST GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

Page. 

Methods now used in fighting the gipsy moth 63 

Cost of methods employed 69 

Value of natural enemies in controlling gipsy and broww-tail moths 70 

The introduction of parasites and natural enemies of the gipsy and brown-tail 

moths 71 

Value of the work of suppression to the farmer and fruit grower 72 

Suggestions to the owners of private property in the infested districts 72 

The outlook 74 

The more important American publications on the gipsy and brown-tail moths. 77 

Index 79 



LLUSTRATIONS. 



PLATES. 

Pfege. 
Plate. I. The gipsy moth (Porthetria dispar). Fis- 1. — Male moth. Fig. 2. — 
Female moth. Fig. 3. — Male pupa. Fig. 4. — Female pupa. Fig. 

5. — Egg cluster. Fig. 6. — Caterpillars Frontispiece. 

II. Woodland area in Massachusetts defoliated by the gipsy moth " 9 

III. Fig. 1. — Egg clusters of the gipsy moth on trunk of apple tree, 

Wallingford, Conn.., December, 1909. Fig. 2. — Egg clusters of the 
gipsy moth on stone wall 12 

IV. The brown-tail moth (Euproclis chri/sorrhcea) . Fig. 1. — Cocoon. 

Fig. 2. — Male moth. Fig. 3. — Female moth. Fig. 4. — Egg clus- 
ter on leaf. Fig. 5. — Caterpillars feeding on leaf 22 

V. Woodland at Lexington, Mass., completely defoliated by the gipsy 

moth 38 

VI. Same woodland at Lexington, Mass., as that shown in Plate, V, (he 

following year, illustrating beneficial effects of control work... 38 
VII. View of woodland near roadway at Weston, Mass., showing effect of 

control measures against the gipsy moth 44 

VIII. Lumber piles at York, Me., infested with egg clusters of the gipsy 

moth 00 

IX. Fig. 1. — Pine grove killed by the gipsy moth. Fig. 2. — Pine trees 

that have been protected from the attacks of the gipsy moth 62 

X. One of the ten high-power spraying outfits used in the gipsy moth 

work of the Bureau of Entomology G6 

XI. High-power spraying outfit in use in treating roadside trees 60 

XII. View showing contrast between trees protected from the gipsy and 

brown-tail moths and those unprotected 72 

XIII. Map showing dispersion and present distribution of the gipsy 
moth in New England, and limits of area infested by the brown- 
tail moth, in 1909 74 

TEXT FIGURES. 

Fig. 1. Roadside view in Massachusetts, showing oak and ash trees, the former 
killed by the gipsy moth (Porthetria dispar) and the latter prac- 
tically uninjured 14 

2. Pine trees killed by the gipsy moth 15 

3. Trunk of pine tree, showing tanglefoot band and egg clusters that 

have been treated with creosote 19 

. 4. Winter webs of the brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) 22 

5. Oak tree in winter, showing webs of the brown-tail moth at tips of the 

branches 23 

6. Brown-tail moths on electric light pole, Somerville, Mass., July 2, 1908. 24 

7 



8 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

Page. 
Fig. 7. Hairs of the caterpillar of the brown-tail moth, highly magnified l,'5 

8. Equipment for roadside work against the gipsy moth, used by em- 

ployees of the Bureau of Entomology 39 

9. Roadside where thinning operations are being carried on, showing 

tools and equipment used in the work 40 

10. Employees of the Bureau of Entomology treating egg clusters of the 

gipsy moth with creosote, using an ordinary paint brush and a brush 
attached to a long pole 41 

11. Roadside which has been cleared of brush and the trees banded with 

burlap and tanglefoot : 42 

12. Gipsy-moth scout's outfit, consisting of climbing irons, mirror, clean- 

ing knife, can of creosote, and brush 43 

13. Roadsides badly infested by the gipsy moth 44 

14. Same road shown in figure 13, after the completion of thinning opera- 

tions against the gipsy moth 45 

15. Map showing roads in Massachusetts where the brush has been cut, the 

trees thinned, and those remaining treated by employees of the 
Bureau of Entomology to prevent the spread of gipsy-moth larvae on 
vehicles « 46 

16. Pile of 120,000 webs of the brown-tail moth, gathered and destroyed 

at York, Me 51 

17. Roadside area, showing how the grass has been induced to grow by 

thinning out the trees and clearing away the underbrush in gipsy- 
moth control work 64 

18. Spraying a roadside, using a combination tower and hand nozzle, so as 

to throw two streams 68 

19. Map of New England, showing the present area infested with the gipsy 

moth and the brown-tail moth 73 

20. Neglected apple orchard in which the trees have been killed by the 

gipsy moth 74 

21. View of a hill where all the timber was cut to prevent its destruction 

by the gipsy moth; pile of logs in the foreground 75 

22. Map of New England, showing areas infested by the brown-tail moth 

from 1897 to 1909-. 76 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate II. 




REPORT ON THE FIELD WORK AGAINST THE GIPSY MOTH AND 
THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



INTRODUCTION. 

For nearly two decades eastern Massachusetts has suffered enor- 
mous loss to its forest, orchard, and shade trees, as well as to orna- 
mental plantings which beautify many of the large country estates, 
by reason of the depredations of the gipsy moth (Porthetria (lis par L.) 
(see PI. II), and for the latter half of this period by the combined 
injury caused by this insect and the brown-tail moth (Euproctis 
chrysorrltoea L.). Both of these insects w^ere introduced from Europe, 
During the past few years the situation became so serious, owing to 
the spread of these insects into Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, and Connecticut,, that appropriations from the National 
Government were urged by the States affected, and, owing to the 
great danger that these pests would become disseminated over 
the entire country, funds have been appropriated by Congress to 
assist in securing their control and of preventing further spread. 
The purpose of this report is to sketch briefly the life histories of the 
insects concerned, their habits since their introduction into this 
country, a statement of the injury caused by them here and in their 
native homes, and to discuss the methods used for their control, in 
order that this work may become better understood and the danger 
of the presence of the pests more thoroughly appreciated in sections 
which are not now infested. Free use has been made of the reports 
already published by the State of Massachusetts and other New 
England States, where warfare against these insects has been car- 
ried on in the past. 

Acknowledgment and thanks are due to Dr. W. E. Britton, state 
entomologist of Connecticut, for the use of Plate III, figure 1, and 
to Prof. E. F. Hitchings, state entomologist of Maine, for the use of 
Plate VIII and text figure 16. 

IMPORTANCE OF THE GIPSY MOTH AS AN INSECT PEST IN THIS 

COUNTRY. 

During the summer of 1889 great injury was caused to the foliage 
of the street trees and of those on private estates in Medford, Mass., 

9 



10 FIELD WOEK AGAINST GIPSY AND BKOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

a city about 5 miles north of Boston, by caterpillars which appeared 
in enormous swarms. In many cases the trees were completely 
defoliated, antl the insects crawled into the houses and upon the 
fences and walks, so as to become a public nuisance in the neighbor- 
hood. Specimens were sent to the office of the Massachusetts state 
board of agriculture at Boston, and were transmitted to Prof. C. H. 
Fernald, at Amherst, and, in his absence, were determined by Mrs. 
Fernald as the gipsy moth of Europe. An investigation in the neigh- 
borhood showed that this insect had been quite abundant and had 
caused considerable damage for a number of years, but, owing to the 
belief of most of the residents that it was one of the common native 
caterpillars, no action had been taken in the matter. As a result of 
persistent inquiry among the inhabitants of the infested section it was 
determined that some of these insects were introduced from Europe, 
probably in the egg stage, by Prof. Leopold Trouvelot, a French 
naturalist, about the year 1869. At. that time this gentleman was 
conducting experiments with silkworms, and also with some of the 
American species of silk-spinning caterpillars. The evidence seems 
to show that some of the egg clusters, or young caterpillars, which 
he secured from Europe, escaped from his house where the experi- 
ments were being conducted, and, as he was aware of the dan- 
gerous nature of the insect in its native home, he destroyed all the 
caterpillars that could be found in the neighborhood and made public 
the fact that it had escaped. At that time the section in which he 
resided adjoined a large area of waste land, which was overgrown 
with sprouts and brush, and here the species became established. 
Its slow development as a serious pest was undoubtedly due to the 
fact that this area was burned over periodically by brush fires which 
destroyed large numbers of the insects, and also to the prevalence 
at that time of many insectivorous birds, which doubtless accom- 
plished much in preventing the rapid increase of the species. 

So thoroughly were the trees defoliated by the caterpillars that 
in many cases during the summer of 1889 and 1890 swarms of 
them practically covered the sides of many houses. Ileal estate 
in the neighborhood rapidly depreciated in value and many tenants 
moved to more congenial quarters of the city. The recorded state- 
ments of eye-witnesses of the conditions that prevailed seem almost 
incredible to one who has had no opportunity to observe the serious 
damage which this insect causes. Many trees and orchards died 
as the result of repeated defoliation, and during the winter of 1890, 
on petition of the city of Medford and the surrounding cities and 
towns, the matter was brought to the attention of the legislature, and 
the sum of $25,000 appropriated for abating the nuisance. 



RECORD OF THE GIPSY MOTH IN ITS NATIVE HOME. H 

STATE WORK AGAINST THE GIPSY MOTH IN MASSACHUSETTS, 

1890 1900. 

The work against the gipsy moth was phiced in charge of a paid 
commission of three men, appointed by the governor. At the time 
the work was begun it was thought that only a small area was infested, 
but on May 9, 1890, the commission reported to the governor that 
the infested area was "some sixteen times as large as at first repre- 
sented, "and requested an additional appropriation of $25,000, which 
was granted. 

Early in 1S91 the commission was abolished by the governor and an 
unsalaried one appointed which carried on the work for a few months, 
until a law was enacted by the legislature giving the state board of 
agriculture authorit}^ to use "all reasonable measures to prevent the 
spreading and to secure the extermination of the Ocneria disjMr or 
gypsy moth in this Commonwealth." 

The board placed the work under the immediate direction of a 
committee, later known as the "Committee on gypsy moth, insects, 
and birds," which was made up of five of its members, who served 
without pay. Mr, E. H. Forbush, of Worcester, Mass., was appointed 
director of the field work, and Prof. C. H. Fernald, entomologist to 
the Massachusetts agricultural experiment station at Amherst, was 
given supervision of the experimental and scientific work, and ener- 
getic measures were at once begun to exterminate the pest, and were 
continued until February 1, 1900. 

RECORD OF THE GIPSY MOTH IN ITS NATIVE HOME. 

A perusal of the European literature concerning this insect, which 
was thoroughly examined and the results presented in the report 
on the gipsy moth by Forbush and Fernald, published by the Massa- 
chusetts board of agriculture in 1896, indicates that it was a pest 
in nearly all European countries at the time the first entomological 
writings were published, and there is good reason to suppose that 
even before that time much serious devastation to trees and forests 
resulted from it, although it was probably referred to as "the plague," 
and was believed by the inhabitants to be a scourge sent by the 
Almighty as a penalty for their wrongdoings. Many cases are on 
record where this insect became abundant and defoliated thousands 
of acres of forests, as well as the fruit and shade trees and shrubs 
in the populated regions. The literature indicates that this moth 
is abundant periodically and causes enormous loss throughout con- 
tinental Europe, western Asia, and Northern Africa. It has been 
found as far north as Stockholm and is known to occur in Algeria. 
Slight, though not serious, infestations have been reported in Eng- 
land, and this or a closely allied species occurs in Japan, and is said 
to be present in sections of China. During the year 1909, Prof. 



12 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

Trevor Kincaid, who was engaged by the Bureau of ICntomology, 
in cooperation with the State of Massachusetts, for the purpose of 
collecting parasites of this insect in Russia, found during his explo- 
rations that thousands of acres of forests were completely denuded, 
and in other localities trees were dying over large areas as a result 
of previous defoliations. Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau 
of Entomology, while visiting, in 1909, the corps of European agents 
engaged in collecting parasites of the gipsy moth in Europe, found 
a large forest area near Nantes, France, which was completely 
stripped by this pest. In fact, the whole European history of this 
moth is a continuous record of periodical outbreaks of greater or 
less severity, which have caused enormous damage to trees from 
the time of the earliest writings on entomology down to the present 
time. The situation in Japan is not as serious as in Europe, owing 
to the efficient work of certain parasites which tend to keep the 
insect under control. 

LIFE HISTORY OF THE GIPSY MOTH. 

THE EGGS. 

(PI. I, fig. 5.) 

The female gipsy moth deposits her eggs in clusters containing 
normally from 400 to 500 eggs, which are covered with hair from her 
body; this protects them from the action of the elements and ren- 
ders their destruction, even by fire, quite difficult. The clusters 
are fully 1 inch in length and about half as wide, and have the general 
appearance and color of a small piece of sponge. The number of eggs 
varies considerably and depends largely on the food supply and the 
vigor of the caterpillar from which the female develops. In colonies 
where the food supply has been practically exhausted by the larvse, 
egg clusters are often found containing not more than 50 or 75 eggs, 
while, on the other hand, a number of cases are on record where sin- 
gle clusters contained over 1,000 eggs. The majority of the eggs 
are deposited about the middle of July, although there is consider- 
able seasonal and individual variation. Females have been found 
depositing egg clusters as early as June 25 and as late as October 7. 
Crevices in the bark, holes in trees, stone walls (PI. Ill, fig. 2), or 
rubbish piles are favorite places for the deposition of eggs, as they 
aff"ord shelter for the full-grown caterpillar about to pupate and 
protect the pupa and the newly emerged moth. Many clusters are 
deposited under steps or porches of houses, in outbuildings near 
infested trees, as well as on the trunks (PI. Ill, fig. 1 ) and on the under 
side of the branches of the trees themselves. Hatching takes place 
early in the spring, about the time the trees are coming into leaf. A 
few cases are on record where the caterpillars hatched in the fall, but 
this is unusual. 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology^ U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Pl.ATElll. 




Fig. 1.— Egg Clusters of the Gipsy Moth on Trunk 
OF Apple Tree, Wallingford, Conn., December, 
1909. I From Britton.) 




Fig. 2.— Egg Clusters of the Gipsy Moth on Stone 
Wall. (Original.) 

[This wall has been ovorturned to expose the egg clusters.] 



LTFE HTSTOriY OF THE GIPSY MOTH. 13 

THE LARV.E. 

(PI. I, fig. 0.) 

The newly hutclied caterpillars feed upon (lie small leaves, makin^^ 
"pin holes" in them. As a rule the caterpillars molt five times, but 
quite a number of cases are on recorcl where an additional molt took 
place before they entered the pupal staf;:e. The newly hatched cater- 
pillars are about one-eio;hth of an inch in lenj^^th and covered with lono-, 
slender hairs. During warm weather they feed upon the leaves, but 
when the temperature is low, or durino^ rainy or unsettled weather, 
such as is common in early spring, they congregate in masses in the 
crevices of the bark or on the egg clusters from which they hatched. 
As the w^eather becomes warmer in the early summer, they grow rap- 
idly and devour the entire leaves except the woody veins. Until they 
are about half grown, the caterpillars are able to suspend themselves 
from the twigs or branches of the trees by means of silken threads 
spun from their bodies, and in this way they often drop upon animals 
carriages, or other moving objects, and may be conveyed to localities 
w^here none of the species exists. After the caterpillars have molted 
the fourth time, which usuall}^ occurs about the middle of June, a con- 
siderable change in coloration appears. On the dorsum of each of the 
first five segments behind the head is a pair of prominent blue tuber- 
cles, while on the following six segments the tubercles are of a dark- 
red color. The arrangement and coloration of these tubercles is 
characteristic of the species. The feeding habits change somewhat 
with the progress in growth of the caterpillars, for after becoming half 
grown the caterpillars seem to prefer shelter from the sun and feed 
for the most part at night or during cloudy weather. During the 
warm part of the day they remain concealed in crevices in the bark, 
crawl to the ground, or seek any convenient shelter from the sun. 
This hal)it serves as a protection against their natural enemies, and 
although in moderately infested sections it is usually possible to find 
caterpillars feeding at midday during sunny weather, still the ma- 
jority are either in hiding or are feeding in such situations as to be 
largely protected from direct sunlight. The period spent in the cater- 
pillar stage extends, on the average, from early in May to July 5, or is 
approxhnately seven weeks. Egg clusters deposited in cool situations 
do not hatch as readily as those more favorably located; hence 
the entire length of the feeding period varies considerably. Larvae 
have been found as early as the 1st of April and as late as September 
6. In certain areas along the seacoast and on islands which are sur- 
rounded by tidewater, the hatching of the eggs is retarded, and pupa- 
tion takes place much later than where conditions are normal. The 
full-grown caterpillars measure about 2 inches in length, although 
there is considerable variation in this respect, due largely to the 



14 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



amount of food available. It is a noticeable fact that in ])a(l colonies, 
where most of the foliage has been eaten, the caterpillars pupate early 
in the season before attaining normal size. 

This insect has a varied list of food plants; in fact, it will eat 
almost any kind of vegetation, although it seems to prefer the foliage 
of oaks (fig. 1), willows, and apple trees. Repeated observations 
have shown that the ash (fig. 1), juniper, and red cedar are practically 
immune from attack, while the maple is not injured to any great ex- 
tent if more desirable food is within easy reach. Grass and garden 
crops are sometimes seriously injured when the supply of other food 
has been exhausted. 

A few years ago a farmer in Lynn, Mass., stated that with the assist- 
ance of his men he collected several bushels of the caterpillars that were 




Fig. 1.— Uoadside view in Massachusetts,, showing oak and ash trees, the former killed by the gipsy moth 
(rorthetria dispar) and the latter practically uninjured. (Original.) 

feeding in his fiekl of sweet corn. The caterpillars had stripped the 
trees in a piece of woodland near by, and, after eating all the foliage 
from the bushes and low growth, had migrated in countless numbers 
across the road and attacked the growing corn. 

Most of our native leaf-eating insects confine their diet to a small 
number of food plants, and it is unusual for a species to feed on both 
deciduous and coniferous trees. The gipsy-moth larva\ after becom- 
ing half grown, feed witii avidity on conifers, especially the white pine, 
and many acres of this, as well as other coniferous trees, have been de- 
foliated and killed in the infested region of New England (fig. 2). 



LIFE HISTORY 0¥ THE GIPSY MOTH. 



15 



The white pine, as well as the spruce and the hemlock, is unable to 
survive after one complete defoliation, and when only partially de- 
nuded the trees are usually attacked by bark borers and other insects 
so that death soon follows. The proper treatment of conifers to pre- 
vent injury by the gipsy moth will be described farther on in this 

report. 

THE pur^. 

(PI. 1, figs. 3, 4.) 

After the caterpillars have finished feeding they usually select more 
or less protected places in which to pupate. Stone walls, rubbish 
piles, and open spaces beneath porches or outbuildings furnish excel- 
lent places for caterpillars to enter the pupal stage. Of course, a large 
nimiber remain on the trees, where they usually pupate on the under 
side of the branches, beneatii loose bark, or in holes and cavities, or 




Fig. 2.— Pine trees killed by the gipsy moth. (Original). 

descend to the base of the trees before transforming. Previous to 
pupation the caterpillar spins a few threads of silk in order to attach 
itself firmly. The body then shortens considerably and pu])ation is 
accomplished by the integument of the segments behind the head 
splitting dorsally and the whole larval skin is forced back to the entl 
of the body, the pupa remaining beneath the network of silk which 
held the caterpillar in place. The pupa is dark reddish-brown, and 
the body segments bear yellow hairs, which are arranged in groups. 
From 7 to 17 days are spent in this stage before the moth emerges. 
As a rule female ])upfe are much larger tlian those of males, but the 
sex can always be determined by the structure of the last segment of 
the abdomen. 



16 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

THE ADULTS. 

(PL I, figs. 1, 2.) 

The male moths ordinarily emerge from the pupte earlier than do 
the females. The body of the male is light brown and the wings are 
considerably darker and have prominent black markings. Male 
moths are able to fly considerable distances and are especially active 
during warm sunny weather. The zigzag motion of the flight of these 
moths is characteristic of the species. The body of the female is light 
buft'. The abdomen, which is very large and almost completely filled 
with eggs, is densely covered with short yellow hairs which are used 
by the moth to protect the eggs as they are deposited in the cluster. 
The wings are white, with prominent black markings, and, although 
they are apparently of ample size, the female moth is not able to fly 
on account of the weight of the body. The adult insects take no food, 
and after mating, which takes place soon after emergence from the 
pupa, the female begins depositing eggs. As a rule the egg cluster 
will be found near the pupal case from which the female emerged, but 
occasionally the moth will crawl a considerable distance, especially if 
disturbed. When a search for egg clusters is being made the dis- 
covery of a female pupal case is indication that an egg cluster is pres- 
ent near by. Sometimes motlis which emerge from pupse that are 
attached to the branches of trees fall to the ground and deposit their 
eggs on the trunks of surrounding trees or on leaves or rubbish. By 
the time the egg cluster is completed, the abdomen has shrunken 
greatly and in a few hours the moth dies. 

METHODS EMPLOYED IN WORK AGAINST THE GIPSY MOTH. 

SCOUTING. 

As the law enacted by the Massachusetts legislature in 1891 required 
the state board of agriculture "to prevent the spread and secure the 
extermination" of this insect, a determined effort was made to ascer- 
tain the extent of the area infested. Men were trained so that they 
were able to recognize the moth in all its stages, and as soon as they 
hatl secured sufficient experience the most expert ones were sent into 
the territory not known to be infestetl to make a thorough inspection. 
As a result of this work, it was found that, while the area supposed to 
be infested in 1890 covered 9 cities and towns in whole or in part and 
embraced about 50 square miles, the pest had become established in. 
more oi- less numbers in .30 cities and towns, covering an area of 200 
square miles. This spread had undoubtedly been going on for a num- 
ber of years, and as the thickly settletl sections became badly infested 
the small cater])illars were easily conveyed long distances owing to their 
habit of spinning down from trees onto vehicles or other moving 



METHODS EMPLOYED AGAINST GIPSY MOTH. 17 

bodies. Many colonies were discovered on the premises of milkmen 
and market gardeners who made regular trips to the infested section 
to distribute their products. 

SPRAYING. 

It was at first believed that this insect could be successfully con- 
trolled, like most other leaf-eating species, by spraying the trees with 
Paris green, a remedy which was then in common use. Experiments, 
however, showed that it was impossible to kill the caterpillars with this 
spray after they became half grown, unless it was used so strong 
that it resulted in severe injury to the foliage of the trees. Mr. F. C. 
Moulton, who conducted an extensive investigation with insecticides 
in the years 1891 and 1892, was able to prepare a new insecticide, arse- 
nate of lead, which could be used in sufficient strength to kill the 
caterpillars without injuring the foliage. This work was later taken 
up by Messrs. A. 11. Kirkland, F. J. Smith, and A. F. Burgess, under 
the direction of Prof. C. II. Fernald. A large number of experiments 
were made, using different formulas, which demonstrated the practical 
effectiveness of this poison and the proper method of its preparation. 
The poison as used at that time w^as made by dissolving the proper 
amounts of arsenate of soda and acetate of lead salts in separate ves- 
sels containing water. These solutions were then brought together 
and a precipitate, consisting of arsenate of lead, was formed. Usually 
the fresh precipitate was prepared in the field. In recent years, since 
this poison has come into general use throughout the country for treat- 
ing trees infested with leaf-eating insects, it is made by manufacturers 
in a similar way, and is put on the market in the form of a paste which 
mixes readily with water, thus preventing the delay occasioned by 
mixing the raw chemicals and obviating the danger of securing impure 
materials, wdiich might cause injury to the foliage or crop treated. 

Some improvements were made in spraying machinery, which was 
very crude when we consider the equipment used at the present time. 
Spraying with the facilities tlien at hand was a very expensive opera- 
tion, and in many cases gave unsatisfactory results, especially when 
large trees were treated. Owing to these facts, and because every 
effort was being made to secure the extermination of the insect, 
spraying was undertaken only in a limited way. 

BURLAPPING. 

The secretive habits of the caterpillars suggested the provision of 
artificial hiding places, and for this purpose burlap bands were placed 
about the trunks of the trees. Bolts of burlap were cut into strips 
about 8 inches wide, which were rolled for the convenience of the 
workmen. A band was placed around each tree about as high as a 
40705°— Bull. 87—10 2 



18 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

man's shoulder and fastened in the center with twine, the upi)er ])art 
being fohled down, forming an exceUent slielter for the caterpihars. 
By examining the burhips frequently and crushing the larvae untler- 
neath great progress was made in destroying the pest. The free edges 
of the burlap should be kept loose from the trees so that the larvse 
can easily crawl under the folds. This method can not be used 
advantageously until the caterpillars are about half grown, as they 
do not often seek shelter until that time. The expense entailed is 
considerable, but it is one of the most effective measures where exter- 
mination of the insect is desired. 

STICKY BANDS. 

Numerous attempts were made to use a sticky material, such as 
printer's ink, tar, or other substances, applying them to bands of 
tarred paper on the trunks of trees to prevent the caterpillars from 
ascending. Several tons of a German product, known as "raupen- 
leim," were tried but none of these preparations proved satisfactory 
for wholesale use. Success in using such bands was not attained 
until the material known as tanglefoot came into use, about live 
years ago. 

CUTTING AND BURNING. 

In order to prepare infested territory so that it could be treated 
effectively and economically, it was necessary to cut out and burn 
the brush and sprout growth, as well as trees that were hollow and 
partially decayed. This method reduced to a minimum the number 
of trees to be burlapped or otherwise treated, and by removing the 
low growth the larvae were forced to feed on the trees where they 
could be more easily destroyed. 

A method employed against the young caterpillars hatched from 
egg clusters located in stone walls or rocky areas was to clean out all 
brush and undergrowth during the winter. As soon as the larvae 
appeared in the spring the ground and walls were burned over by 
using a device known as a cyclone burner. This consisted of a 15- 
gallon oil tank, on which was mounted a small force pump. The oil 
was conducted through a hose to an iron extension rod, at the end 
of which a nozzle of the Vermorel type was fitted. The fine mist 
of oil forced from the nozzle was ignited and the ground and walls 
burned over. To secure best results a large ball of flame should be 
maintained which can be forced into the cracks or cavities in walls or 
ledges in order to destroy the larvae. Paraffin gas oil or a light grade 
of crude petroleum can be used. Two men are required to operate 
this outfit satisfactorily. The action of the oil soon destroys the hose, 
so that it seldom lasts more than one season. 



METHODS EMPLOYED AGAINST GirSY MOTH. 



19 



PRUNING. 

As the foiiialc moths deposit their eg^" ciusters iindei' h)ose l);irk 
and in holes and cavities in the trees, and also ))ecause the larvie seek 
such hiding places, it became necessary to rid the trees of these 
natural shelters. To accomplish this purpose a considerable amount 
of pruning and fillmg of cavities was required. This work had to be 
skillfully done, especially when fruit or shade trees in cities or towns 
were treated. Many ingenious methods were devised for carrying on 
these operations, some of which 
have been adopted by j)rofes- 
sional foresters and others who 
have taken up the business of 
caring for trees. 

TREATING EGG CLUSTERS. 

The insect exists in the egg 
stage nearly nine months in the 
year and many experiments were 
tried to determine the most ef- 
fective method of treating egg 
clusters. The first method used 
was that followed in Euroi)e and 
consisted simply in scra{)iiig ofl' 
the egg masses and burning them. 
In removing the eggs many were 
scatteretl, even if the work was 
carefully done, and as such eggs 
hatched in due time it became 
necessary to secure a better 
method of treatment. It was 
found that they could be killed 
by satiu'ating the clusters with 
crude coal-tar creosote to which 
was added a small amount of 
either coal tar or lampblack to 
discolor them and enable the 
workmen to tell instantly the ones that had been treated. (See 
fig. 3.) 

It was necessary to make a very thorough search of all objects likely 
to harbor egg clusters if satisfactory results were expected, and this 
required much climbing of high trees as \ve\\ as careful ground work. 
The pupse and moths were crushetl or treated with creosote when 
found by the workmen. 

It was necessary to apply a combination of methods to secure 
satisfactory results and many localities had to receive special treat- 




FiG. 3.— Trunk of pine tree, showing tanglefoot band 
and egg clusters that have been treated with creo- 
sote. (Original.) 



20 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

ment on account of their location and condition of infestation. 
Methods which could be readily applied in wooded areas were entirely 
unsuited for use in residential sections. 

DISCOVERY OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH IN AMERICA. 

The work on the ^ipsy moth resulted in a <^reat reduction of the 
numbers of the insect and a steady improvement in the condition of 
the infested territory, in spite of the fact that the legislature seldom 
granted the appropriations which were deemed absolutely necessary 
by the board of agriculture, and the availability of the funds was 
often delayed so that many of the trained men were thrown out of 
employment for a part of the year, which of course greatly affected 
the efficiency of the force. To add to the didiculties of the situation 
complaints were received during the summer of 1897 that trees and 
shrubs in Somerville, Mass., were being severely injured by an insect 
which appeared to be new to the region. 

An investigation showed that the trouble was caused by the brown- 
tail moth {Euproctis chriisorrhoRa L.), an insect well known and at 
times as noxious in Europe as the gipsy moth. 

Carefid inquiry indicated that this species was probably imported 
from Europe a few years before on rose or nursery stock by a local 
florist. The attention of the governor was called to the matter by 
the state board of agriculture, and, realizing the seriousness of the 
pest and the desirability of stamping it out at once, he sent a special 
message to the legislature, which was then in session, suggesting that 
action be taken without delay. 

A law was passed requiring })roperty owners to destroy the insects 
on their premises, and the opportunity for stamping out the pest 
before it could become generally disseminated was lost. As is always 
the case, some of the citizens and numicipalities made every effort 
to destroy the pest, but through the neglect and indifference of 
others little permanent good was accomplished. 

The following year $10,000 was diverted from the gipsy moth 
appropriation to "prevent the spread of the brown-tail moth," but 
the money did not become available for use until after the cater- 
pillars had left their winter webs and begun feeding. Thus the insect 
was allowed to spread for two seasons after it was discovered, because 
the work was not taken up promptly under proper supervision. 
When work was begun it was found that the insect had spread over 
a large territory and it seemed almost impossible to stamp it out. 
A detailed account of this insect was prepared by Fernald and 
Kirkland in 1908 and published by the Massachusetts board of 
agriculture. 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 21 

EUROPEAN HISTORY OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 

The brown-tiiil moth is one of the oldest known i)ests in Europe 
and is called in many of the earlier writings "la commune/' or the 
communistic one. It is said to be distributed over central and 
southern Europe and to extend to Algiers on the south and the 
Himalayas on the east. It has been found in limited numbers in 
England and may be present in Japan, although the record from the 
latter country is somewhat doubtful. Few, if any, species have 
caused more havoc to foliage than has this one, and many accounts 
of its destructive work have been recorded. Deciduous forest and 
fruit trees are often denuded, and even garden crops sometimes suffer 
from the enormous numbers of the caterpillars. Similar conditions 
now prevail in some sections of Europe, for during the spring of 
1909 thousands of seedling trees, badly infested with the webs of this 
insect, were shipped to this country from nurseries in France. 

Mr. II. I^. Frost, of Arlington, Mass., informed the writers that 
while in Germany during the summer of 1909 he found that the 
Thiergarten in Berlin, a large park, had been closed to the public 
owing to the large numbers of larvje of the insect which were defoli- 
ating the trees. The action of the officials in closing this park was 
in part due to the serious poisoning of people as a result of coming in 
contact with caterpillars while visiting the grounds. 

Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Entomology of this 
Department, states that he observed this insect i)resent in injurious 
numbers in certain sections of Europe, particularly in France, during 
the summer of 1909. 

LIFE HISTORY OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 
THE EGGS. 

(PL IV, fig. 4.) 

The female brown-tail moth deposits her eggs in a single elongated 
cluster on the undersitle of a leaf, usually near the end of a twig, 
covering it with brown hair from the end of her body. Each cluster 
is about tw^o-thirds of an inch long and contains from 200 to 400 eggs 
which are nearly globular, and yellow. The eggs are deposited 
during the first three weeks in July, and hatching takes place in 
from 15 to 20 days. 

THE LARV..E. 

(PI. IV, fig. 5.) 

After hatching the young larvje begin feeding on the epidermis of 
the leaf on which the egg cluster was deposited and later attack others 
near by. They are gregarious and usually feed on the terminal 
leaves of the twigs, which are drawn together and held in position 



22 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



by silk s})un by the caterpillai-s. As the season advances more 
leaves are drawn into tlie web, and this is lined with silk and serves 
during the winter as a hibernaculum for the larvae. The caterpillars 
do not remain in a single large cell. The web is divided by cross 
partitions into small pockets in each of which one or more of the 
larvie remain during the winter. The webs (hg. 4) are very con- 
spicuous on the trees during the winter, as they are usually located 
at the tips of the branches. (See fig. 5.) During the first warm 
days of spring the caterpillars come forth from the webs and begin 
feeding on the bursting buds. In cases where the trees are badly 
infested the tiny leaves are devoured as fast as they develop. The 
caterpillars feed until about the 20th of June before becoming full 
grown. They molt four or five times in the spring, and when ready 




Fig. 4.— Winter wel.>s of the lirown-tail moth (£i-/;TOC/;6- chiyMirUaa). ((.)riginal.) 

to spin their cocoons are about an inch and a half in length. The 
body is nearly black and co veered with rows of yellow spines and 
bar"bed hairs which arise in tufts on the back and sides. There is 
also a row of nearly white tufts on the full-grown larvae, which arise 
along each side of the dorsal abdominal segments. The next to the 
last two segments each bear a small coral-red tubercle on the dorsal 
part. As soon as the caterpillars are full-fed they seek shelter and 
spin up loose cocoons, within which they pupate. 

THE PUP^. 

The cocoons (PI. IV, fig. 1) may often be found in leaves which 
have been weblied together by the larvae, in crevices in the bark, 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate IV. 








The Brown-tail Moth (Euprogtis chrysorrhcea). 

Fig. 1. — Cocoon. Fig. 2.— Male moth. Fig. 3. — Female moth. Fig. 4.— Egg cluster on leaf. 
Fig. b. — Cateri)illar.s on leaf. (Original.) 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



23 



under Ijiirlaps, beneath tlie clapboards or under the eaves of 
houses, or in any situation which affords reasonable shelter. As a 
rule the cocoons will be found in masses, and, as the silk with which 
they are constructed is interwoven with hairs from the bodies of the 
caterpillars, severe poisoning; may result in removing them from 
their resting })laces. The i)U})al stage lasts about 20 days, most of 
the moths emerging during the first 10 days in July. Weather con- 
ditions during the spring serve to accelerate (U- retard the growth of 
the caterpillars, so that the time of pupation and emergence of the 
moths varies considerably. 

THE ADULTS. 

(PI. IV, figs. 2, 3.) 

Both males and females 
are white and bear a tuft of 
yellowish-brown hairs at the 
end of the abdomen, from 
which the name" brown-tail 
moth " is derived. Although 
the abdomen of the female 
is much larger than that of 
the male, the female of the 
brown- tail moth, unlike that 
of the gij^sy moth, is capable 
of strong flight, and the 
spread of the species is there- 
fore not handicapped as in 
the case of the latter species. 
Both sexes fly more fre- 
c^uently at night than in the 
daytime, although most of 
the eggs are deposited dur- 
ing the day. The moths are 
attracted to strong light, 
especially electric arc Hghts 
in cities and towns, and 
during the nights when the moths are most abundant the areas 
around these lights sometimes have the general appearance of a 
heavy snowfall, due to the great number of flying insects. Stores 
and houses in the neighborhood are often invaded by the moths, 
and several cases are on record where merchants have been obliged 
to close their stores during the height of a moth flight in order 
to prevent annoyance and trouble caused by the enormous num- 




FiG. 5.— Oak tree in winter, sliowing webs of the l)ru\\n-fail 
moth at tips of branches. (Original.) 



24 



FIELD WORK AC4AINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



bers of these insects. The morning following a flight, tlie houses, 
telephone poles, and trees in the immediate vicinity of the arc lights 
are usually well covered with small white moths (see fig. 6) ; and it is 
no uncommon thing for lamp trimmers to collect one or two quarts 
of dead moths inside the globe surrounding a light. The hairs from 
the abdomens of the moths are poisonous, as well as those from the 
cater])illars, and a great many persons have been caused severe incon- 
venience by coming in contact with the adult insects. 

The moths' habit of flying to lights serves 
to increase their distribution, especially in 
the more thickly populated regions. 

Large numbers of the insects are killed, 
however, b}^ coming in contact with the 
liglit and many of the survivors are de- 
stroyed by birds the morning following 
the flight. The English sparrow has been 
observed by ]\Ir. Kirkland to kill large 
numbers of the moths which remained 
about the lamps by jndling off the wings 
and devourino; tlie bodies. 




POISONING 



EFFECT OF 
HAIRS. 



BROWN-TAIL 



From the time this insect was first found 
in Somerville numerous reports were re- 
ceived that the caterpillars were poisonous 
to human beings. Many people were 
severely affected with what was termed 
"the brown-tail rash," and niuch com- 
])laint arose on that account. 

The best explanation of the trouble was 
that the barbed hairs of the caterpillars 
(fig. 7), when they came in contact with 
human skin, caused severe irritation. The 
scratching to relieve this itching forced 
the hairs farther into the tissue, which 

resulted in a slight swelling and an intense burning and stinging 

sensation. 

When the housewife swept the caterpillars from the porch or 

brushed down the cocoons, which are interlaced with larval hairs, 

many were broken, and as a result severe cases of brown-tail rash 

followed. 



Fig. 6.- Brown-tail moths on eleo 
trie light pole, Somerville, Mass. 
July 2, 1908. (From Kirkland.) 



POISONING EFFECT OF BROWN-TAIL HAIRS. 



25 



The motlis arc provided with these barbed haiis, but to a less 
extent than tlie Larva^,, and cases of ])oisonin,<,' have been re])orted 
during the flight of moths in the summer. 

Broken hairs wliich float in the air when the caterpiUars, webs, 
or cocoons are (Hsturbed also cause severe internal irritation and 
poisoning if the (kist is inlialed or swallowed in any considerable quan- 




P'lG. 7.— Hairs of the caterpillar of the brown-tail iiiolh, highly magnified. 
(Adapted from Kirklaud.) 

tities. The poisoning has caused very serious illness to men engaged 
in the work against the moths, in the field, and at the Parasite Labo- 
ratory, and each year many are obliged to seek other employment, 
and not a few have been under a physician's care. The death of one 
man was due to severe internal poisoning contracted while employed 
on the work, particularly while turning burlaps. 



26 FIELD AVORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

Underclothes and bedding' should not he ])ut out upon the line 
durino; the caterj)illar season, as the floating hairs may alight on such 
articles, which, when used, may result in serious poisoning. 

During the year 1906 a careful study of this dermatitis was made 
by Dr. E. E. Tyzzer, of the Harvard ISfedical School, and a rei)ort 
was published by liim." 

He concludes from his investigation that the barbed hairs not only 
cause a mechanical irritation but that they contain a poison which 
acts directly on the corpuscles of the blood. This results in a break- 
ing down of the corpuscles to a certain extent and in their assuming 
a jagged outline instead of a circular one. 

Such a multitude of people have suffered from this form of poison- 
ing that many remedies have been prepared and sold whicli are 
warranted to give relief. During the summer metropolitan news- 
papers and many of the smaller papers in New England contain 
advertisements of remedies for the brown-tail rash. The trouble is 
more serious during liot weather, when ])ei'S()ns are perspiring freely, 
and tlie skin at this time seems less resistant to the entrance of the 
spines. 

Some of the advertised remedies give a certain measure of relief, 
but none of the remedies suggested is wholly eflicacious. Applica- 
tions which are cooling to the skin, such as witch-hazel or alcohol, 
serve to allay the irritation to some extent and reduce the suffering 
caused by the poison. 

The internal irritation which is caused by breathing or swallowing 
the ])ois()nous hairs is often very serious and no effective remedy has 
been found. 

NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS 
NATIVE TO AMERICA. 

Aside from the experimental work on insecticides and a careful, 
detailed study of all phases of the life history and habits of the gipsy 
and brown-tail moths, considerable time was devoted by the Massa- 
chusetts authorities to an investigation of the native natural enemies 
which attack them in the field. 

Both species are partially controlled in Europe by parasites and 
predaceous enemies, and it was desirable to ascertain if the closely 
related beneficial species in this country were showing any marked 
tendency toward controlling the pests. 

Field observaticms on birds were made by Mr. Forbush, who was 
ably assisted in this work by Messrs. J. A. Farley and F. H. Mosher, 
the late Charles E. Bailey, and numerous other careful observers. 
A large number of native insectivorous birds were found feeding on 

o In Second Annual Report of the Superinteiuhnit for Suppressing the (iypsy and 
the Brown-tail Moths, Boston, 1907, pp. 154-168. 



STATE WORK IN MASSACHUSETTS, 1890-1900. 27 

the gipsy moth. Many of the observations have heeii published in 
the report 1)V Forbush and FernakI ah'eady cilt'tl. 

Unfortunately, conditions in the territory infested were not very 
favorable to the increase of insectivorous birds, and tliis, of course, 
served to limit their activities and usefulness. A few s]:)ecies, among 
which may be mentioned the crow, while destroying many of the 
larvae, undoubtedly aided the spread of the gipsy moth by dropping 
live caterpillars in uninfested sections. 

Field observations were made and work in rearing the insect 
enemies of these moths was carried on by Messrs. A. H. Kirkland, 
A. F. Burgess, F. H. Moslier, and others. 

A few species of hymenopterous and dipterous parasites were fountl 
working in the field and small numbers of the adults were reared at 
the insectary. Among the ])redaceous enemies were several species of 
beetles (Carabidfe) and stink bugs (Pentatomidse) which were found 
feeding on the larvae in the field and were studied in detail in the 
laboratory. 

Although not an insect, the common toad shoidd be mentioned as 
doing valuable work in destroying such specimens of the insects as 
came within its reach. 

The rapid development and unprecedented injury caused by the 
gipsy moth after the state work was abandoned show conclusively 
that native natural enemies are entii-ely unable to cope with the 
situation. 

PROGRESS OF THE STATE WORK IN MASSACHUSETTS, 1890-1900. 

The administration of any extensive public work almost invariably 
arouses more or less antagonism, and the gipsy moth work was no 
exception in this respect. In compliance with the provisions of the 
law which provided for the extermination of this insect, no effort was 
made to introduce its parasites or natural enemies from abroad, as it 
would have been necessary to allow extensive colonies of the insect 
to remain untreated in order to give introduced parasites an oppor- 
tunity to become established. Some criticism was occasioned by 
this manner of handling the work and in addition to this many 
property owners in sections of the State which were not infested 
failed to see the necessity for making large appropriations to destroy 
the insect. Active opposition developed in some sections of the 
infested territory, which was occasioned by ignorance as to the 
methods of carrying on the work. 

Realizing that the work was of a different character from any that 
had been attempted previously, and that new methods and devices 
must be employed to handle the problem with any degree of success, 
great effort was made to test in a practical way any suggestions that 



28 FIELD WOEK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

seemed to liave a bearing on reducing the expense of making the 
work more effective. 

From the time the iirst state approj)riation was made until the 
close of the work the gipsy moth committee procured expert opin- 
ions from the leading entomologists of the country, and during this 
period a large nund)er of prominent scientists visited the territory, 
inspected the work, and witiiout exception reported that the exter- 
mination of tlie gipsy motli was not only ])i-acticable but feasible 
and that it could be accomplished provided proper financial support 
was given the work. In the winter of 1S94-1895 an unsuccessful 
attempt was made to secure national aid in exterminating this insect. 
A bill, carrying an appropriation for $40,000, was passed by the 
United States Senate, but it was defeated in the conference commit- 
tee. During the session of Congress, 1896-1897, an appropriation 
was made for an investigation of the ravages of the gipsy moth in 
this country. Dr.L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Entomology, 
made several visits to the infested territory and thoroughly examined 
the conditions and the work which was being done. Mr. C. L. Marlatt, 
first assistant entomologist, also made a visit to the infested district 
and investigated the condition of the territory. The report of Doctor 
Howard" highly commended the work which had been done and 
stated his opinion that the extermination of the gijisy moth could be 
accomplished. During the winter of 1897 the Massachusetts Society 
for the Promotion of Agriculture secured the services of Dr. John B. 
Smith, state entomologist of New Jersey, to investigate the work and 
report the conditions found. The report strongly favored contin- 
uing the work and expressed the opinion that the insect could be 
exterminated if sufficient funds were appropriated, but the society 
did not publish the report in full. The condition of the infested 
territory continued to improve. The residential sections were in 
excellent condition in 1899, although small numbers of the insect 
were present. Many woodland colonies had been entirely extermi- 
nated, as evidenced by the fact that none of the insects had been found 
for three successive years. The spread of the brown-tail moth, 
however, continued each year and little hope was entertained of 
being able to exterminate it. 

DISCONTINUANCE OF THE STATE WOBK IN MASSACHUSETTS. 

At the annual session of the legislature in the winter of 1900 a 
special committee was appointed to investigate the gipsy-moth work. 
After numerous hearings it was reported that the insect need not be 
considered a serious pest, and further that "we find no substantial 
proof that garden crops or woodlands have suffered serious or lasting 

oBuL II, n. 8., Division of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



FUNDS EXPENDED BY THE STATE, 1800-1900. 



29 



injury or arc likely, with that precaution or oversight which prudent 
owners are disposed to give their own interests, to be subjected to 
that devastation which one would have the right to anticipate from 
these reports. It appears to us that the fears of the farmers through- 
out the State have been unnecessarily and unwarrantably aroused, 
evitlently for the purpose of securing the effect of those fears upon the 
matter of annual appropriations * * * "yVe do not share these 
exaggerated fears and the prophesies of the devastation and ruin are 
unwarranted and in the most charitable view are but the fallacies 
of honest enthusiasts." As a result of the report of this committee 
no further appropriation was made for carrying on the work. The 
tools and equipment which had been used were ordered sold, and the 
insect was allowed to develop without restriction. 



CONDITIONS IN THE INFESTED TERRITORY AT THE CLOSE OF 

THE STATE WORK. 

As before stated, the area found infested in 1891 included 30 towns 
and cities, covering 200 square miles. Between the years 1891 and 
1900 isolated colonies were discovered beyond these limits in Brook- 
line, Burlington, Danvers, Georgetown, Manchester, Newton, and 
Lincoln. These infestations were given special attention and several 
of them were practically exterminated before the work was discon- 
tinued. Vigorous measures were enforced over the entire infested 
territory and all of the w^orst colonies, including those in the wood- 
lands, had been reduced to such an extent that the extermination of 
the insect was practically assured. Several towns had been com- 
pletely cleared of the insect, and the residential sections showed no 
defoliation, and considerable search was necessary for a nonexpert to 
secure specimens of the insect. 

FUNDS EXPENDED BY THE STATE DURING THE PROGRESS OF 

THE WORK. 

During the progress of the work the following amounts were asked 
for and received for the suppression of the pest : 



Year. 


Amount 
asked. 


Amount 
appropriated. 


1890 


S50,000 
50, 000 
75, 000 
165,000 
165, 000 
200, 000 
200,000 
200, 000 
200, 000 
200,000 
200, 000 


S50, 000 
50,000 
75,000 
100,000 
100, 000 
150,000 
100, 000 
150,000 
200, (K)0 
200, 000 


1891 


1892 


1893 


1894 


1895 " "" 


1896 


1897 


1898 


1899 


1900 • 






Total expenditure 




1,175,000 







30 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BKOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

RESULTS OF DISCONTINUANCE OF THE WORK. 

During the years 1900 and 1901 little notable injury was caused 
by the gipsy moth and little attention was paid to it. 

In the winter of 1902 a small pamphlet was issued by the state 
board of agriculture setting forth the fact that the moth w^as increas- 
ing to an alarming extent in many of the wooded districts and 
predicting that unless all signs failed enormous injury would result. 
Mention was also made of the fact that about 4 square miles had 
been found infested in Providence, R. I., during the summer of 1901. 
This was the first infestation found outside the State of Massachu- 
setts, and from its location it was believed that the insects had been 
purposely liberated by some malicious person. 

At this time tlie brow^n-tail moth had spread rapidly in a northeast 
direction throughout eastern Massachusetts and into New Hampshire 
and Maine. Already many persons were being poisoned severely by 
the caterpillars, especially in the sections around Boston, where the 
moths were becoming abundant. 

During the next two years the gipsy moth increased to such an 
extent that thousands of acres of woodland were defoliated. The 
caterpillars appeared in such swarms as to denude the orchards and 
ornamental trees in most of the sections which were previously 
infested. Large areas of pine timber died as a result of the work of 
the pest, and real estate values rapidly depreciated in the worst 
infested sections. 

Valuable shade trees were killed outright or injured to such 
an extent that they had to be cut down, owing to their unsightly 
appearance. 

The caterpillars swarmed into the houses, covered fences, and spun 
down from the trees upon the clothing of pedestrians, so that they 
became an unbearable nuisance. Some of them fell upon teams or 
automobiles and were carried long distances and served to establish 
new colonies. Stories of the immense numbers of caterpillars seem 
almost incredible. On several occasions trolley cars were prevented 
from running until the tracks were cleared of the crushed and swarm- 
ing insects. The following spring it was necessary for many of the 
motormen to wear veils to keep their eyes and faces free from the 
caterpillars which swarmed from the trees. Acres of forest died as 
the result of the ravages of the caterpillars, the injury including both 
hardwood trees and conifers. In fact, the conditions which existed 
in Medford in 1890 were very mild compared with those in the area 
infested in 1904. To make matters worse, the brown-tail moth 
appeared at this time in alarming numbers. Thousands of persons 
were poisoned by the hairs of this insect, and young children espe- 
cially sullered severely. Physicians reported many cases of this 



STATE WORK RESUMED IN MASSACHUSETTS. 31 

kind, and general aj)peal was made that something be done to abate 
the nuisance. 

During the summer of 1904, Mr. C. L. Marlatt, first assistant ento- 
mologist of this Bureau, visitetl the infested territory and strongly 
urged that the matter be given immediate attention. In his report 
on the conditions existing, which has been published in Circular 58, 
Bureau of Entomology, he stated that at the time his observations 
were made the property owners in the badly infested section were at 
a conservative estimate spending more "than $200,000 annually in 
fighting the gipsy moth, and that the results were far from satisfactory 
owing to the fact that the work was not carried on in a systematic 
manner. The amount cited represents the largest annual appropria- 
tion which had been made by the State before the work was discon- 
tinued. 

All these factors led to the formation of many local associations 
which had for their object the destruction of the moths. Many of 
the infested towns and cities appropriated funds which were used to 
protect the trees, and the citizens, after becoming thoroughly aroused, 
fought the pests vigorously as a matter of self-j)rotection. The work, 
however, was far from effective because it was not properly organized 
and undertaken in a systematic manner, and while many owners had 
their premises well taken care of, their efforts were largely nullified by 
the negligence of careless neighbors or nonresident property owners. 
This was particularly true on estates adjoining wooded areas which 
had a small market value. 

The brown-tail moth, which had confined most of its energies up to 
the present time to feeding on fruit and ornamental trees, w^as now 
found widely scattered throughout the woodlands, and the trees, 
especially oaks, in many regions were thoroughly infested with webs 
of the pest. 

STATE WORK RESUMED IN MASSACHUSETTS. 

So serious was the situation and so urgent were the appeals for 
assistance that the Massachusetts legislature took action in the mat- 
ter in 1905. The law was amended in 1906 and is given in full, as it 
has formed the basis for similar laws in other States. 

[Chap. 381, acts of 1905, as amencied by chap. 2GS, acts of 190G.] 
AN ACT To provide for suppressing the gypsy and brown tail moths. 
Be it enacted, etc., as follows: 

Section 1. For the purposes of this act the pupje, nests, eggs, and caterpillars of the 
gypsy and brown tail moths and said moths are hereby declared public nuisances, 
and their suppression is authorized and required; but no owner or occupant of an 
estate infested by such nuisance shall by reason thereof be liable to an action, civil 
or criminal, except to the extent and in the manner and form herein set forth. 

Sec. 2. The governor, by and with the consent of the council, shall appoint a super- 
intendent for suppressing the gypsy and brown tail moths and shall determine hia 



32 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

salary. The governor may, with the consent of the council, remove said superintend- 
ent at any time for such cause as he shall deem sufficient. In case of the death, 
removal, or resignation of the superintendent the governor shall forthwith appoint a 
successor. On or before the third Wednesday in January in each year the superin- 
tendent shall make a report of his proceedings to the general court, which shall be a 
public document and shall be printed. Said report shall separate so far as is practi- 
cable the expenditures on work against the gypsy moth from those on work against 
the brown tail moth in each city and town. 

Sec. 3. [As amended by section 1, chapter 268, acts of 1906.] The said superin- 
tendent shall act for the Commonwealth in suppressing said moths as public nuisances, 
in accordance with the provisions of this act. For this purpose he shall establish an 
office and keep a record of his doings and of his receipts and expenditures, and may, 
subject to the approval of the governor, make rules and regulations governing all 
operations by cities, towns or individuals under this act. He may employ such 
clerks, assistants and agents, including expert advisers and inspectors, as he may 
deem necessary and as shall be approved by the governor. He may make contracts 
on behalf of the Commonwealth; may act in cooperation with any person, persons, 
corporation, or corporations, including other States, the United States, or foreign gov- 
ernments; may conduct investigations and accumulate and distribute information 
concerning said moths; may devise, use and require all other lawful means of sup- 
pressing or preventing said moths; may lease real estate when he deems it necessary, 
and, with the approval of the board in charge, may use any real or personal property 
of the Commonwealth; may at all times enter upon the land of the Commonwealth 
or of a municipality, corporation, or other owner or owners, and may use all reasonable 
means in carrying out the purposes of this act; and, in the undertakings aforesaid, may, 
in accordance with the provisions of this act, expend the funds appropriated or donated 
therefor; but no expenditure shall be made or liability incurred in excess of such 
appropriations and donations. 

Sec 4. [As amended by section 2, chapter 268, acts of 1906.] Cities and towns by 
such public officer or board as they shall designate or appoint, shall, under the advice 
and general direction of said superintendent, destroy the eggs, caterpillars, pupae, 
and nests of the gypsy and brown tail moths within their limits, except in parks and 
other property under the control of the Commonwealth, and except in j^rivate prop- 
erty, save as otherwise provided herein. When any city or town shall have expended 
within its limits city or town funds to an amount in excess of five thousand dollars in 
any one calendar year, in suppressing gypsy or brown tail moths, the Commonwealth 
shall reimburse such city or town to the extent of fifty per cent of such excess above 
said five thousand dollars. 

Cities or towns, where one twenty-fifth of one per cent of the assessed valuation of 
real and personal property is less than five thousand dollars, and where the assessed 
valuation of real and personal property is greater than six million dollars, shall be 
reimbursed by the Commonwealth to the extent of eighty per cent of the amount 
expended by such cities or towns of city or town funds in suppressing the gypsy and 
brown tail moths in any one calendar year, in excess of said one twenty-fifth of one 
per cent. 

In the case of towns where the assessed valuation of real and personal property is 
less than six million dollars, after they have expended in any one calendar year town 
funds to an amount equal to one twenty-fifth of one per cent of their assessed valuation 
of real and personal property, the Commonwealth shall expend within the limits of such 
towns, for the purpose of suppressing the gypsy and brown tail moths, such an amount 
in addition as the superintendent with the advice and consent of the governor shall 
recommend. Disbursements made by said last named towns in excess of said one 
twenty-fifth of one per cent shall be reimbursed by the Commonwealth every sixty 



STATE WORK RESUMED IN MASSACHUSETTS. 33 

days; but in the case of all others the Commonwealth shall reimburse cities and 
towns annually accordinis; to the provisions of this act. 

No city or town shall be entitled to any reimbursement from the Commonwealth 
until it has submitted to the auditor of the Commonwealth itemized accounts and 
vouchers showing the definite amount expended by it for the purpose of this act; 
nor shall any money be paid out of the treasury of the Commonwealth to cities or 
towns, pursuant to the provisions of this act, until said vouchers and accounts have 
been approved by the superintendent and the auditor of the Commonwealth. 

For the purposes of this section the years nineteen hundred and five and nineteen 
hundred and seven shall l^c considered half years, and the valuation for the year 
nineteen hundred and four shall be taken as a basis. 

Sec. 5. [As amended by section 3, chapter 268, acts of 1906.] When, in the opinion 
of the superintendent, any city or town is not expending a sufficient amount for the 
abatement of said nuisance, or is not conducting the necessary work in a proper man- 
ner, then the superintendent shall, with the advice and consent of the governor, order 
such city or town to expend such an amount as the superintendent shall deem neces- 
sary, and in accordance with such methods as the superintendent, with the consent 
of the governor, shall j)rescribe: Provided, That no city or town where the assessed 
valuation of real and personal property exceeds six million dollars shall be required 
to expend, exclusive of any reimbursement received from the Commonwealth, during 
any one full year more than one fifteenth of one per cent of such valuation, and that 
no town where the assessed valuation of real and personal property is less than six 
million dollars shall be required to expend, exclusive of any reimbursement received 
from the Commonwealth, during any one full year more than one twenty-fifth of one 
per cent of such valuation. For the purposes of this section the valuation of the year 
nineteen hundred and four shall be used. 

Any city or town failing to comply with the dii'ections of the said superintendent 
in the performance of said work within the date specified by him shall pay a fine of 
one hundred dollars a day for failure so to do; said fine to be collected by information 
brought by the attorney-general in the supreme judicial court for Suffolk County. 

Sec. 6. [As amended by section 4, chapter 268, acts of 1906.] The mayor of every 
city and the selectmen of every town shall, on or before the first day of November in 
each year, and at such other times as he or they shall see fit, or as the state superin- 
tendent may order, cause a notice to be sent to the owner or owners, so far as can be 
ascertained, of every parcel of land therein which is infested with said moths; or, if 
such notification appears to be impracticable, then by posting such notice on said 
parcels of land, requiring that the eggs, caterpillars, pupte and nests of said moths shall 
be destroyed within a time specified in the notice. 

When, in the opinion of the mayor or selectmen, the cost of destroying such eggs, 
caterpillars, pupae, and nests on lands contiguous and held under one ownership in a 
city or town shall exceed one half of one per cent of the assessed value of said lands, 
then a part of said premises on which said eggs, caterpillars, pupae or nests shall be 
destroyed may be designated in such notice, and such requirement shall not apply to 
the remainder of said premises. The mayor or selectmen may designate the manner 
in which such work shall be done, but all work done under this section shall be subject 
to the approval of the state superintendent. 

If the owner or owners shall fail to destroy such eggs, caterpillars, pupaj or nests 
in accordance with the recjuirements of the said notice, then the city or town, acting 
by the public officer or board of such city or town designated or appointed as aforesaid, 
shall, subject to the approval of the said superintendent, destroy the same, and the 
amount actually expended thereon, not exceeding one half of one p6r cent of the 
assessed valuation of said lands, as heretofore specified in this section, shall be assessed 
40705°— Bull. 87—10 3 



34 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

upon the said lands; and such an amount in addition as shall be required shall be 
a])p()rtioned between the city or town and the Commonwealth in accordance with the 
provisions of section four of this act. The amounts to be assessed upon private estates 
as herein provided shall be assessed and collected, and shall be a lien on said estates, 
in the same manner and with the same effect as is provided in the case of assessments 
for street watering. 

Sec. 7. [As amended by section 5, chapter 268, acts of 1906.1 If, in the opinion of 
the assessors of a city or town, any land therein has received, by reason of the abate- 
ment of said nuisances thereon by said superintendent or by said city or town, a sjjccial 
benefit beyond the general advantage to all land in the city or town, then the said 
assessors shall' determine the value of such special benefit and shall assess the amount 
thereof upon said land: Provided, That no such assessment on lands contiguous and 
held under one ownership shall exceed one half of one per cent of the assessed valuation 
of said lands; and Provided, That the owner or owners shall have deducted from such 
assessment the amount paid and expended by them during the twelve months last 
preceding the date of such assessment toward abating the said nuisances on said lands, 
if, in the opinion of the assessors, such amount has been expended in good faith. Such 
assessment shall be a lien upon the land for three years from the first day of January 
next after the assessment has been made, and shall be collected under a warrant of the 
assessors to the collector of taxes of such city or town, in the manner and upon the 
terms and conditions and in the exercise of the powers and duties, so far as they may 
be applicable, prescribed by chapter thirteen of the Revised Laws relative to the 
collection of taxes. 

Real estate sold hereunder may be redeemed within the time, in the manner, and 
under the provisions of law, so far as they may be applicable, set forth in chapter 
thirteen of the Revised Laws for the redemption of land sold for taxes. 

A person aggrieved by such assessment may appeal to the superior court for the 
county in which the land lies, by entering a complaint in said court within thirty days 
after he has had actual notice of the assessment, which complaint shall be determined 
as other causes by the court without a jury. The complaint shall be heard at the first 
sitting of said court for trials without a jury after its entry; but the court may allow 
further time, or may advance the case for speedy trial, or may appoint an auditor as in 
other cases. The court may revise the assessment, may allow the recovery back of an 
amount wrongfully assessed which has been paid, may set aside, in a suit begun 
within three years from Uie date thereof, a collector's sale made under an erroneous 
assessment, may award costs to either party and may render such judgment as justice 
and equity require. 

If, in the opinion of the assessors, the owner of an estate upon which an assessment 
as aforesaid has been made is, by reason of age, infirmity or poverty unable to pay the 
assessment, they may upon application abate the same. Every city or town in ren- 
dering an account to the state auditor as provided for in section four of this act shall 
deduct from such amount as it has expended the total amount it has received for work 
performed under section six of this act during the term covered by the account: Pro- 
vided, Such work was performed under such conditions as require. reimbursement in 
whole or in part by the state. 

Sec. 8. To meet the expenses incurred under authority of this act, there shall be 
allowed and paid out of the treasury of the Commonwealth, during the period up to 
and including May first, nineteen hundred and seven, the sum of three hundred thou- 
.sand dollars. Of this amount seventy-five thousand dollars may be expended during 
the calendar year nineteen hundred and five; one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
and any unexpended balance of the previous year, may be expended during the cal- 
endar year nineteen hundred and six ; and seventy-five thousand dollars, and any unex- 
pended balance of the previous years, may be expended during the calendar year 
nineteen hundred and seven, up to and including May first. 



STATE WORK RESUMED TN MASSACHUSETTS. 35 

Sec. 9. An additidiial huiu of ten thdusand dollars in each of the years nineteen 
hundred and five, nineteen hundred and six and nineteen hundred and seven may, 
in the discretion of the state superintendent, be expended by him for exjjerimenting 
with parasites or natural enemies for destroying said moths, and any unexpended 
balance of any year may be expended in the subsequent years. 

Sec. 10. Chapter two hundred and ten of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and 
ninety-one and sections one and two of chapter five hundred and forty-four of the acts 
of the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight and section two of chapter fifty-seven 
of the acts of the year nineteen hundred and two, are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 11. [As amended by section 6, chapter 268, acts of 1906.] A person who will- 
fully resists or obstructs the superintendent or an official of a city or town, or a servant 
or agent duly employed by said superintendent or by any of said officials, while law- 
fully engaged in the execution of the purjxjses of this act, or who knowingly fails to 
comply with any of the rules or regulations issued by said superintendent, shall forfeit 
a sum not exceeding twenty-five dollars for each offence. 

Sec. 12. Valuations of real and personal property of the year nineteen hundred and 
four shall govern the provisions of this act. 

Sec. 13. This act shall take effect upon its passage. 

Approved May 8, 1905. 

This law is now in force, with a few minor administrative amend- 
ments. In the spring of 1909, following the resignation of the state 
superintendent, an amendment was enacted i)lacing the work in charge 
of the state forester. 

The law provides a cooperative plan for fighting the gipsy moth 
and brown-tail moth by which each infested city or town is required 
to appoint a local superintendent and to expend annually a certain 
amount, based on its valuation, and, after this has been done, sub- 
ject to the approval of the state forester, reimbursement is allowed 
by the State in amounts graduated according to assessed valuation. 
Thus the large cities are required to expend a larger amount before 
receiving any reimbursement from the State, and then receive a 
smaller percentage than the towns with small valuations and large 
areas of woodland, which are very expensive. to treat. 

Cities and towns with an assessed valuation on real and personal 
property of $12,500,000 or more shall, after expending $5,000 in 
any one year, be reimbursed 50 per cent of all further expenditures. 

Cities and towns where the assessed valuation ranges between 
$6,000,000 and $12,500,000, after expending one twenty-fifth of 1 per 
cent of the valuation, are reimbursed 80 per cent of all further 
expenditures. 

Cities and towns where the assessed valuation falls below $6,000,000 
are required to expend one twenty-fifth of 1 per cent and are reim- 
bursed in full for all further expenditures. 

The property owner is required to clear his premises of the insects 
and to expend therefor not more than one-half of 1 per cent, or $5 per 
$1,000, of the assessed valuation. In case of failure to do this work 
after proper notice has been served, the premises may be treated by 



36 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

the town officials and the cost, not to exceed the above amount, 
may be levied and collected in taxes. 

The whole purport of the law is to divide the burden between the 
property owner, the infested municipalities, and the State, and to 
place the entire work under state supervision in order to secure 
uniformity of methods and economy of expenditure. 

The law provided for an appropriation of $75,000 for the year 
1905, $150,000 for 1906, and $75,000 for 1907. An appropriation of 
$10,000 a year was also made for a period of three years to provide 
for the expense of introducing the parasites and natural enemies of 
these insects from abroad and for their propagation and dissemina- 
tion in the infested district. The latter work was organized in co- 
operation with the United States Bureau of Entomology under the 
direction of Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau. 

On May 15, 1905, Mr. A. H. Kirkland was appointed state super- 
intendent by Hon. W. L. Douglas, then governor of the State. The 
wisdom of this appointment was soon apparent in the results secured 
in organizing a most difficult piece of work and in training a skilled 
force of men for efficient service, and the State was very fortunate in 
being able to procure the services of a well-trained entomologist, 
who brought to the work a thorough knowdedge of the conilitions to 
be met, high scientific attainments, and rare executive ability — a 
combination seldom secured. 

The work during the year 1905 consisted in organizing the moth 
forces in towns in the infested territory and sending the most 
expert men that could be employed by the central office into the out- 
side districts to determine if the gipsy moth was present. As a result 
of a hurried inspection it was determined that 124 towns, covering 
an area of 2,224 square miles, w^ere more or less infested, against 34 
towns, covering an area of 359 square miles, in which the moth was 
known to exist in 1900, when the state work was discontinued. The 
gipsy moth was also found in several towns north of the Massachu- 
setts line in New Hampshire, to and including Portsmouth, while 
the colony at Providence, R. I., had increased to a considerable extent. 
Practically the same methods were used as those adopted when the 
old work was in progress, although, owing to the increased area 
infested and the extremely bad condition of the central district, it 
was necessary to abandon the idea of extermination and use all 
possible methods to control the insect and to prevent its further 
spread. The scouting operations which were carried on in the out- 
side infested tow^ns were, of course, done in a rather hurried manner 
on account of the great pressure of other work and the necessity 
for immediately taking active measures to destroy the moths in the 
badly infested towns and cities. Much effort w^as necessary in 
order to organize the work and secure a trained force of local men. 



BEGINNING OF WORK BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. 37 

This large area, which included thousands of acres of badly infested 
woodland, was in a nuich worse condition than in 1904 and it soon 
became evident that heroic measures must be taken and an enor- 
mous amount of work done if any appreciable progress was to be 
made in preventing widespread injury. 

A single case will serve as an illustration of the loss to owners of 
timber caused by the gipsy moth. A tract of woodland near the 
Bedford and Billerica town line, belonging to the Hosmer estate, 
was sought by a portable saw mill operator in 1907, who offered 
$6,000 for the wood and timber, but, as the owners wanted $6,500, 
the trade was dropped. The following winter, owing to the presence 
of the moths in large numbers, the lot was sold for about $3,000, and 
immediately cut, resulting in loss to the owners of at least 50 per cent 
in one year. At the time the state work ceased in 1900 this prop- 
erty was 4 miles outside of the infested area. 

In 1906 the Massachusetts legislature added $150,000 to the appro- 
priation already made for that year and united with the other New 
England States in an appeal to Congress to furnish aid. 

The brown-tail moth was found to be present, in 1905, as far west 
as central Massachusetts. It also occurred in tlie southern counties 
m New Hampshire and along the coast, specimens having been 
reported from Eastport, Me., and St. John, New Brunswick. A 
single insect was found at Providence, R. I., during the year. 

BEGINNING OF WORK BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. 

The spread of the gipsy and brown- tail moths caused much alarm 
in the New England States, and in the fall of 1905 an appeal was 
made to Congress to assist in the work of controlling these pests. 
The movement was supported by delegations from Maine, where 
the work of the year had shown that an area of approximately 4,000 
square miles was infested with the brown-tail moth and where ener- 
getic measures were being taken to control the insect; by New Hamp- 
shire, which was seriously infested with both pests; by Massachusetts, 
where heroic measures were being taken to control the situation; 
and by Rhode Island, where a serious infestation of the gipsy moth 
existed. 

On December 4, 1905, a bill was introduced by Representative 
Ernest W. Roberts, of Massachusetts, providing for an appropriation 
of $250,000, to assist in preventing the spread and securing the con- 
tro/ of these pests. The urgent necessity for action was forcibly 
brought out by a report from Dr. W. E. Britton, state entomolo- 
gist of Connecticut, in March, 1906, that a few egg clusters of the gipsy 
moth had been found in Stonington, in that State. 

Owing to the fact that approximately 300 square miles was thickly 
infested in eastern Massachusetts, ample opportunity was offered for 



38 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

the larvae to be carried many miles (lurin«j the early summer, and thus 
the whole country was in danger of becoming infested. 

Later in the season $82,500 was appropriated by Congress. The 
work was put under the direction of Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of 
the Bureau of Entomology, and Mr. D. M. Rogers, then first assistant 
to state superintendent Kirkland, was appointed special field agent 
of the Bureau in charge of the field work in New England. This 
appropriation became available July 1, 1906, and after a conference 
between the Chief of the Bureau of Entomology, the superintendent 
of the moth work in Massachusetts, and the special field agent of 
the Bureau it was decided that the most valuable results could 
be secured with this appropriation by at once clearing as many 
roadsides as possible in the thickly infested and much traveled 
section of Massachusetts. Arrangements were also made to prevent 
dissemination of the gipsy moth in the outside territory as far as the 
limited appropriation would allow. A force of 22 men which had been 
working in the infested district in Rhode Island was carried on the 
pay roll from July 23, 1906, to May 15, 1907, although the number 
at the latter date had been reduced to 9 men, so that work in that 
State could be continued until the state funds were available. 

Later in the season scouting parties were organized and a limited 
amount of work done in the southern parts of New Hampshire and 
Maine. A more detailed account of this work will be given later in 
this report. 

Owing to the severe infestation in the district around Boston 
(see PI. V in comparison with PI. VI), and to the fact that practically 
all of the main highways were being used continually during the 
caterpillar season by automobiles, it seemed necessary to keep the 
roadsides free from caterpillars if a general dissemination of the 
pests to distant points was to be prevented. Traffic between Boston 
and its suburbs, the shore resorts along the coast, and the vacation 
places in New Hampshire, is particularly heavy during the early sum- 
mer. At the time of the serious outbreak of the gipsy moth in 1890 
the spread of the insect was made possi}:)le chiefly by means of teams 
or carriages that passed through the infested district, and these sel- 
dom traveled more than 20 miles in a single day. With the use of 
the automobile the daily travel often covers a hundred or more 
miles, so that the danger of spread to remote districts was greatly 
increased; in fact, recent inspections have shown that the spread 
of the insect can often be traced directly to this means of conveyance. 

A building was rented at Medford at a point within easy reach of 
the badly infested section where work was to be carried on, the neces- 
sary tools and supplies (figs. 8, 9) were installed, and arrangements 
made for actively beginning the campaign against the moths. Mr. 
Harry W. Vinton was selected as a special agent to take charge of 



Bui. S7, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate V. 




Woodland at Lexington, Mass., Completely Defoliated by the Gipsy Moth. 

(Original.) 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate VI. 




Same Woodland at Lexington, Mass., as that Shown in Plate V, the Following 
Year, Illustrating Beneficial Effects of Control Work. iOriginal. ) 



BKOINNINC Ol'' \V(»I;K \:\ 'I'll!'; NATIONAL <;< )\l';i!N M KN'I'. 39 

active oixTJilioiis in I he (icid. Mr. Viiiloii Imd scrvcMl for scvci-iil 
years on (lieo'ipsy iiioMi woi'k when i( \v;is hein.^- condnclcd hv (lie 
Miissneliiisel Is slide hoard of !i{i,-i'ieulrure, iirid from his lon<^^ e.\|)eriene(', 
and iJioroiij^h knovvledo'(v of (J,,« pest iind the projx'r methods of treat- 
ment, as well as his faniiliarily with the infested region, it was possihle 
to he<;'in active o|)eralions withoid delay. 

Several trnnk roads in Melrose, Saii<i:ns, and VVakeheld which ex- 
tende(| thi-oiinh hadly infested woodland were scleclcd, and active 
cutting- operations hen-nn. Crews of men were employed lo cnt out 
iho hrnsh and worthless trees and to thin the sonnd tind)er on aslrip 
100 feet w'ulo on («ach side of the hin-hwny. 'Hie hrnsh was then 
burned and the c«j;n^ clusters on the remainin<:; trees and ledtres 
were civosolcd. (See l\<r. 10.) Very liltl(> if any work was |)laiine(l 




l'"iii. s. lM|ui|iriicnl, lor rdiiilsiih; work iipilnst, Uie gii)sy iiioMi, usi'il by ciiiployccs of Mm Itiirviui of Kiilo- 

inoloKy. (OriRiiiul.) 

or has been carried out up lo the present lime in icsidenlial parls 
of the infested district, as the town and city ollieials, aclinic under 
state law, usually k(>e|) the trees in such sections fairly I'wo from 
infestation. The cuttin,^; out of ||i('S(> roadways is siinpl\ for the 
pur|)()se of prc^parino; the way for a thoroiioh and economical (reat- 
nient. Jt is usually n(>c(>ssary to carefully prune many of th(> tr(>es 
in the treated arcMi, and in some cases wlH>r<^ th(>v are of special 
valu(^ the cavities in hollow trees are closed with cement, covei'ed 
wilJi zinc, or sealed with a wooden plu<;-, so that e<i;<:; clusters can 
not he d(>p()sited in such plac(>s, where it is e.\tr(>mely difliciilt to livat 
them. In I he s|)riiij4- the lives are handed, and hiirlaps are oflen used 
for this purpose. Another method which has come into favor sinc(> 
the gipsy moth work was resumed in Massachusetts is to apply a band 



40 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BKOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



of tanglefoot to the trunks of the trees before the eggs hatch. (See 
fig. 11.) Rough-bark trees should be scraped where this material is 
to be placed, so that the surface will be smooth enough to apply the 
band evenly with a wooden paddle. Care should be taken not to 
remove the inner bark so that the living wood will be exposed. If 
the tree tanglefoot can be applied evenly, no scraping should be done. 
This material will remain sticky for several weeks, and prevent the 
caterpillars from ascending, but the best practice is to draw a comb 
through the band as the workman walks around the tree. This 
brings fresh material to the surface and removes any foreign sub- 
stances which may have collected. The caterpillars are obliged to 
feed on what low growth remains on the ground and if this has 
been well sprayed they are soon destroyed. Aside from tlie roads 




Fig. 9. — Roadside where thinning operations are being carried on, .showing tools and e(|iii|auent used ia 

tliework. (Original.) 

already mentioned a considerable amount of roadside work was done 
in the towns of Maiden, Lynnfield, Lynn, Peabody, Wolnirn, Lex- 
ington, Burlington, Waltham, and Belmont, and the strips cut out 
during the fall of 1906 and the spring of 1907 and prepared for 
spring and summer treatment aggregated about 65 miles. T^ate in 
April and early in May, 1907, the trunks of the trees in all these 
strips were banded with tanglefoot to prevent the caterpillars from 
climbing the trees, as well as to keep such larvse as migrated from the 
woodland back of the strips from destroying the foliage. After the 
caterpillars hatched the strips were sprayed with arsenate of lead, 
which was used at the rate of 10 pounds to 100 gallons of water. 
Previous to tliis time one small and three lai'ge spraying machines 
operated by gasoline engines had been secured. Owing to the lim- 



BEGINNING OF WORK BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. 



41 



ited lengtli of time that the insect is in the caterpillar stage it is 
necessary to provide equipment so that a large area can be thor- 
oughly sprayed in a short time. This renders impracticable the 
use of hand outfits for such extensive work. The sprayers used 
had a tank capacity of between 500 and 600 gallons, and it was 
possible to treat many acres in a single day. Since the work began 
a number of improvements have been made in spraying outfits used, 
which have rendered them mqre efficient and economical. In addi- 
tion to the spraying the bur- 
lap and sticky bands on the 
trees were examined from 
time to time and the cater- 
pillars crushed with steel- 
wire brushes. In the worst 
infested places it was neces- 
sary to go over the strips 
daily, and even then in some 
instances it was almost im- 
possible to kill the caterpil- 
lars fast enough to prevent 
some defoliation on the 
back edge of the treated 
strips. 

Early in the fall of 1906 
a number of the more ex- 
perienced men were selected 
and scouting operations were 
begun in a limited way in 
Maine, New Hampshire, and 
Connecticut. (See fig. 12, 
showing outfit used by gipsy 
moth scouts.) This work 
was continued until June, 
1907, and a large number of 
towns were found infested. 
In the spring of 1907 it be- 
came evident that owino; to 




Fig. 10.— Employees of the Bureau of Entomology treat- 
ing egg clusters of the gipsy moth with creosote, using 
an ordinary paint brush and a brush attached to a 
long pole. (Original.) 



the discovery of so many infested towns, a larger appropriation would 
be necessary in order to make anything like a careful examination of 
the outside territory . In May, 1 907 , Congress appropriated $ 1 50,000 for 
the purpose of carrying on the work, this sum being available for imme- 
diate use. Plans were at once made to clear more roadside areas 
in the worst infested sections and in the fall to scout thoroughly the 
towns north of the known infested region. Owing to the great increase 
in the amount of work which was to be taken up, the territory in 



42 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



Massachusetts was divided into two sections. Mr. Vinton took charge 
of the crews in one of these sections, and Mr. David G. Murphy was 
appointed, June 17, to take charge of the crews in the other division. 
Mr. Murphy, hke Mr. Vinton, had had long experience in fighting the 
gipsy moth in Massachusetts, and had proved by his previous work 
with the State to be very capable in taking charge of field work. 
The roadside work was continued in Massachusetts during the summer 
and fall, and by the next spring the mileage that had been cut out 
had been increased twofold over that of the previous year. The 
strips were treated in practically the same manner as already de- 
scribed and much benefit resulted from this work. Special effort 
was made in the fall to thoroughly scout the region outside of the 
towns known to be infested in New Hampshire. The work was 
handicapped to some extont by inability to secure men with sufficient 




Fig. 11.— Roadside which has been cleared of brush and the trees banded witli burlap and tanglefoot. 

(Original.) 

training who were willing to take up this arduous work during the 
winter. The scouting, however, resulted in the discovery of 17 
additional infested towns. Work of a similar character was carried 
on in Maine, where five more towns were found to be infested. 

In the spring of 190S Congress appropriated $250,000 for the work 
covering the fiscal year from July 1, 1908, to June 30, 1909. The 
work of clearing roadsides was vigorously pushed throughout the 
year so that by the spring of 1909, 170 additional miles of 100-foot 
strips had been put in good condition for summer treatment. In 
addition to this amount it was necessary to spray and care for 130 
miles of strips that had been thinned during the previous years, so 
that in the summer of 1909 more than 300 miles of roadside were given 
careful attention, which undoubtedly prevented many new colonies 



BEGINNING OF WORK BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, 



43 



from becoming established. Over 200 miles of roadway, not yet cut 
out, which was more or loss infested, was sprayed, and this served 
to further decrease the (hxnger of dissemination. (See figs. 1 3 and- 1 4. ) 

Late in the summer of 1908 plans were made to carry on an 
extensive inspection of the outside territory in New Hampshire and 
Maine. Owing to the size of the territory to be covered in New 
Hampshire it was divided into two sections, and A^Ii\ Irving L. Bailey 
was selected to take charge of the western section and Mr. Henry L. 
Mclntyre was placed in charge of the work in the eastern section. 
Both were men of extended experience in gipsy-moth work in the 
field, Mr. Bailey having been employed as an inspector when the 
insect was being fought by the Massachusetts state board of agri- 
culture, and Mr. Mclntyre having had much practical experience in 
town work for controlling the moths and later in the field work which 
was being carried on by this ofhce. 

About November 1, several crews of tlio most expert men were sent to 
New Hampshire and 
from time to time the 
force was increased un- 
til over 100 men were 
employed in scouting 
work in the various 
towns. Practically all 
of the territory south 
of Lake Winnepesau- 
kee and a double tier of 

towns west of the Mer- Fig. 12.— Gipsy moth scout's outfit, consisting of climljing irons, 
rimac River were ex- ™i™''. cleaning knife, can of creosote, and brush. (Original.) 

amined and most of them were found to be more or less infested. In 
this work all of the roadways, orchards, and private property were 
inspected; in fact, all trees were examined except the large forest 
areas. Several crews were detailed to scout along the main high- 
ways north of Lake Winnepesaukee, as these form the main routes 
of travel for summer tourists to the White Mountains. The principal 
roads from Ossipee to the mountains as far as Bethlehem and Bretton 
Woods were carefully inspected; also along the roads on the west 
side of the mountains through the Pemigewasset. Valley. No egg 
clusters were found north of Ossipee on the eastern or above Mere- 
dith on the western roads. While this work was being carried on 
several crews were engaged in making examinations of the territory 
surrounding the known infested towns in Maine. This region was 
found to be in much more satisfactory condition than during the 
previous year. All work that seemed necessary was done in Connec- 
ticut and the condition of this territory showed marked improvement. 




44 



FIELD WOEK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



The great danger throughout the entire campaign in fighting the 
gipsy moth has been the existence of large woodland colonies and it 
has been impossible for either this office, the States, or the individual 
property owners to keep the* moths reduced in territory of this 
character on account of the vast expense involved. In eastern 
Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire there are large areas of 
forest land which are covered with an inferior growth of trees and 
which are badly infested. In most cases the cost of cleaning up such 
areas and stamping out tlie bad colonies would amount to more than 
the value of the property. This being the case the main attempt 
has been to keep the roadways through forest areas free from the 
young caterpillars and to prevent to as great an extent as possible 
any further spread of the pest. (See PI. VII.) 




Fig. 13.— Roadsides badly infested by the gipsy moth. (Original.) 

During February, 1009, Congress appropriated $300,000 to pro- 
vide for the continuation of the work. This sum was available for 
the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1909. Since that time work on 
roadsides has been continued in Massachusetts and up to January 1, 
1910, nearly 150 miles of 100-foot strips have been cut out and pre- 
pared for spring and summer treatment. 

The roadways cut out up to January 1, 1910, aggregate 450 miles 
of strips. (See fig. 15.) During the period since the government 
work began about $300,000 has been expended in Massachusetts for 
labor and transportation of men. This does not include the amounts 
expended for salaries, rent, tools, equipment, insecticides, supplies, 
and the expenses that have been paid by the Government for the 
maintenance of the Gipsy Moth Parasite Laboratory. 

Late in October, 1909, 16 scouting crews of 5 men each were sent 
to the northern portion of the infested district in New Hampshire 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate VII. 



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BEGINNING OF WORK BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. 



45 



and since that time 5 more crews have been added, making a total 
of 21 crews, or 105 men, en^jjaged in examining the towns. The first 
work was taken np in the region surroiunUng Lake Winnepesaukee 
and in towns west of the Merrimac River and north of Concord. 

January 1, 1910, 41 towns had been scouted and egg chisters were 
found in G towns not previously known to be infested. No egg 
clusters were found in 6 other towns outside the infested area, and 
in 4 towns which were found infested and treated last year a care- 
ful examination failed to bring to light any egg clusters. 

The severe snowstorm and blizzard which prevailed in New Eng- 
land on December 26 resulted in making the roads almost impassable. 




Fig. 14.— Same road shown in figure 13, after the completion of tiiinning operations against the gipsy moth. 

(Original.) 

and coating the trees with snow and ice, and it was necessary to lay 
off all the scouting crews until weather conditions were suitable to 
continue the work. 

During the season when trees are banded with burlap about 47 
men working in Maine were carried on the Bureau of Entomology pay 
roll, and since that time the number has been increased so that about 
60 men engaged in cleaning and scouting have been employed. Small 
colonies have been found in 3 towns not previously known to be 
infested. In Rhode Island 53 men were employed during July 
turning burlap, and on November 21 were transferred from the state 
pay roll and have been engaged in treating egg clusters and cleaning 
the trees in the infested territory. 

Two men in the employ of the Bureau of Entomology examined the 
colony at Stonington, Conn., in December and only a single egg cluster 
was found, A large colony of gipsy moths was found at Wallingford, 



46 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



Conn., December 14. It was visited by Mr. Rogers, December 20, 
and arrangements were made with Dr. W. E. Britton, state entomolo- 
gist of Connecticut, to coo])erate in every possible way to stamp out 
the pest. 

The above is a brief outline of the cooperative work which has been 
carried on by the Bureau of Entomology in su})pressing the gipsy 
moth. 

Winter webs of the brown-tail moth have been destroyed whenever 
they have been found in the belts which are being cleared along the 
roadways. This insect has spread so rapidly that it has been impos- 
sible to carry on an active campaign against it, and in Maine and New 







CHELMSFORD /"-^^ ^^^^. 



/PSWICH 



LOWCLL \ 



SHeRBOKN j 



Fig. 1.j. — Map showing roads in Massachusetts where the brush has been cut, the trees thinned, and those 
remaining treated liy employees of the Bureau of Entomology to prevent the spread of gipsy-moth larvae 
on vehicles. (Original.) 

Hampshire only a moderate amount of good would have been accom- 
plished if an attein])t had been made to destroy the brown-tail webs 
along the roadways and in the orchards, as the woodlands, especially 
in the southern part of these States, are very badly infested. In 
many towns property owners have destroyed the webs found on their 
orchard and shade trees. 

The work of supjiressing the gipsy moth is carried on in a different 
way in each of the New England States. In Massachusetts a large 
annual appropriation is made by the State, and property owners as well 
as towns and cities are required to assist in the control of the insect. 



WORK BY THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 47 

The work of the Bureau of Entomology in Massachusetts, there- 
fore, has been practically independent of the state work, except that 
a hearty spirit of cooperation has always existed between the two 
offices. In Maine the state appropriations have not been sufficient 
to finance an active campaign against the insect throughout the 
year, and a system of cooperation has been established between this 
office and the Maine department of agriculture, so that the work 
can be continued uninterruptedly. In New Hampshire, owing to 
the small appropriations made by the State, the greater part of the 
work has been carried onl)y the Bureau of Entomology, the state funds 
being used for urgent calls which it was impossible for this office to 
attend to. Practically the same conditions hold in Rhode Island as in 
Maine, while in Connecticut most of the work has been carried on by 
the State, and the Bureau of Entomology has furnished only such 
assistance as was deemed necessary to supplement the local work at 
Stonington and Wallingford. A summary of the work done in the 
New England States is given herewith. 

WORK BY THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

During the past five years the State of Massachusetts has appro- 
priated $1,195,000 for the purpose of controlling the gipsy and 
brown-tail moths, and an additional sum of $75,000 has been expended 
in an attempt to introduce their parasites and natural enemies. The 
money has been used, in the main, in reimbursing cities and towns 
in the infested parts of the State which have expended more than was 
required by the gipsy moth law. A small part of the appropriation 
has of course been used for maintenance and supervision of the 
work, and the central office has adopted a system of inspection of 
the city and town work in order that uniform standards might be 
enforced and useless expenditures prevented. The men employed as 
agents and inspectors by the central office have had long experience 
in fighting these pests, many of them having served when the work 
was under the direction of the state board of agriculture. 

The amount of money expended by the different cities and towns 
affected has about equaled that appropriated by the State, while 
many private property owners and state commissions (such as the 
Metropolitan Water and Sewage Board and the Metropolitan Park 
and State Highway Commissions) have expended large sums of money, 
so that the amount expended annually, exclusive of that spent by the 
Federal Government, has averaged about $750,000 to $800,000. 

The result of the work has been to reduce greatly the infestation 
in the residential sections. This has not been accomplished, how- 
ever, without vigorous application of all the best-known methods of 
fighting the pests. Spraying has been carried on in a wholesale way, 
and at the present time most of the infested towns have purchased 



48 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

high-power sprayers, so that a large area of territory can be covered 
in the short time that the insect is in the hirval stage. 

In 1909 over 150 high-power and 250 hand spraying outfits were 
used in the infested district in Massachusetts. 

Unfortunately many of the less valuable woodland sections have 
received little attention, owing to the pressure of jnore important 
work. This results each year in large areas being stripped by the 
cater{)illars, great numbers of which die from starvation and disease, 
and in this way the infestation for the next year or so is materially 
decreased. Fortunately these badly infested areas are more or less 
isolated, as strong effort is made to care for the woodland section 
that is near roads or lines of travel, so that the danger of spread of 
the insects from these centers of infestation is reduced as much as 
possible. 

It has been impossible, however, up to the present time, owing to the 
excessive cost, to do all of such work that could 1)0 done to advantage. 
As the residential areas become freer from the insects more funds can 
doubtless be devoted to this nuich-needed work. 

In addition to the work already outlined a large amount of scouting 
has been carried on under the direction of the central office and at 
state expense. This has been done by skilled and experienced men 
in the towns outside the known infested territory. All the main 
roads and orchards have been examined in a section several towns 
deep around the infested area. 

Some of the more important and much traveled state roads have 
been scouted for long distances and this work in 1907 and 1908 
resulted in the discovery, near Springfield and Greenfield, Mass., of 
small colonies of the gipsy moth. 

The infestation near Springfield was located near the state road, 
which is a favorite route for automobiles between Boston and New 
York City. The outlying colonies tliscovered in this way have been 
treated with special care and many of them have been reduced 
almost to the point of extermination. 

The area infested at the present time in Massachusetts is somewhat 
laro-er than that which was found in 1905 when the first scouting 
operations were begun after the work was resumed by the State. 
This is what would naturally be expected, as it was at that time 
impossible to undertake scouting operations over such a large terri- 
tory with the small force of trained men available. 

Doubtless many of the colonies since found developed from cater- 
pillars scattered during the time the moth was allowed to spread 
without restriction, and more colonies will probably be found in the 
outside territory. Further scouting should be taken up so that 
these may be discovered at the earliest possible moment and promptly 
treated. 



WORK BY THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 49 

Much credit is clue to the State of Massachusetts for the energetic 
manner with which this campaign has been waged. The officials at the 
state office, under the direction of Mr. Kirkland, and later under Mr. 
L. H. Worthley and State Forester Rane (in whose charge the work 
was placed by the last legislature), have accomplished excellent 
results in spite of the many difficulties which had to be met and 
overcome. 

The work undertaken in Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Glouces- 
ter, and Rockport — the region which is known as the north shore of 
Massachusetts Bay — and also in the towns of Hamilton, Wenham, 
and Essex deserves special mention. The value of the woodland in 
this section is probably greater than any other area of the same size 
in New England, and this fact, together with the magnificent ocean 
scenery, has resulted in these towns becoming the summer residences 
of many prominent citizens from all parts of the country. The gipsy 
moth threatens the destruction of these valuable forests, and as the 
land is of little agricultural value the towns concerned would shrink 
thousands of dollars in valuation, and much of the territory would 
be uninhabitable during the summer season, thus working a double 
loss to the sections of the State concerned. During the past two 
years a special fund for carrying on the work has been furnished on 
the basis of the State supplying one- third, the city of Beverly and 
the town of Manchester one-third, and the balance being subscribed 
by the summer residents. In 1909 over $60,000 was expended, the 
work being carried on by the state forester's office. Over 2,100 
acres of woodland have been thinned, sprayed, and protected from 
moth injury. 

Col. Wm. D. Soliier, chairman of the citizens' committee which 
raised private funds for carrying on the work, in a report recently 
issued, says: 

It is perfectly evident that had it not been for the work which was done last year 
and this year conditions on the north shore from Beverly all the way down through 
Manchester would have been unbearable. All the trees would have been stripped 
excejjt on a few private estates, and all the pines and hemlocks would have been 
killed. 

Many improvements in methods have been developed while the 
work has been in progress. Most of these resulted from suggestions 
made by different members of the state and government forces. A 
large number of ideas have been tried out in the field to test their 
utility, and a considerable number of these have been made cooper- 
atively between the state and governmental offices. The whole effort 
has been to secure the best results by adopting the cheapest possible 
methods, and practical suggestions have been received with alacrity. 
40705°— Bull. 87—10 4 



50 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

WORK IN THE STATE OF MAINE. 

Webs of the brown- tail moth were found at Kittery, Me., in the 
spring of 1904 by one of the deputy state nursery inspectors of New 
Hampshire, and Prof. C. M. Weed, who was then entomologist of the 
New Hampshire agricultural experiment station, informed Hon. 
A. W. Oilman, commissioner of agriculture of Maine, of the presence 
of this insect in the latter State. An examination was made at 
Kittery and in the vicinity by Miss Edith M. Patch, entomologist of 
the Maine agricultural experiment station, and through the efforts of 
the above-named officials considerable work was done in the fall of 
1904. Many winter webs were collected and burned. Infestations 
were found not only in Kittery, but at York, Eliot, and other points 
to the eastward along the coast. Owing to the large territory over 
which this insect was spread the matter was brought to the atten- 
tion of the legislature the following winter and an act passed appro- 
priating $5,000 for the year 1905, and $5,000 for the year 1906, for the 
purpose of controlling the pest. The office of state entomologist 
was created and placed under the direction of the state commissioner 
of agriculture, and Prof. E. F. Hitchings, of Waterville, Me., was 
appointed to take charge of the work. Many of the towns in the 
infested section voluntarily raised funds to fight the pest, so that a 
considerable amount in addition to the state appropriation was 
available for expenditure during the years mentioned. 

Owing to the danger of tlie State becoming infested with the gipsy 
moth, an appeal for a national appropriation was urged by the State 
of Maine, in connection with other New England States, and in the 
fall of 1906 it was possible for this office to send several scouting 
parties into the section of Maine nearest tlie infested area in New 
Hampshire. As a result of this inspection, egg clusters of the gipsy 
moth were found at Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick, Wells, 
Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport. Several men examined the prin- 
cipal cities and towns east of Portland, but no infestation was found 
except a single egg cluster discovered by these men on the grounds of 
the National Soldiers' Home at Togus, Me., which was 81 miles from 
the nearest known infested locality. Doubtless this infestation was 
brought about by inmates or visitors unintentionally conveying 
some of the insects from the infested territory on their clothing or 
among their personal effects. The work during the year 1906 was 
continued in Maine with great vigor. The towns found infested 
showed a generous spirit of cooperation in fighting not only the gipsy 
moth but the brown-tail moth. The Old York Transcript, in its 
issue of January 18, 1907, stated that 120,000 brown-tail webs (fig. 
16) were burned in a single day. Most of the money expended for 
collecting these webs was raised by private subscription or appro- 



WORK IN THE STATE OF MAINE. 



51 



priated by the towns involved. In spite of the vigorous work carried 
on in the brown-tail moth infested section, tlie insect continued to 
spread with marked rapi(hty and was found in many towns east of the 
known infested area. In the fall of 1907 scouting parties examined 
the roadways and orchards throughout the gipsy-moth infested terri- 
tory. This resulted, as might be expected, in the discovery of sev- 
eral vigorous woodland colonies in Kittery and York. Work was 
immediately begim in clearing out the brush and sprout growth in the 
infested region, creosoting the egg clusters, and preparing for effective 
summer treatment. Five new towns were found infested with the 
gipsy moth as a result of scouting work during the winter of 1907-8, 
namely, Berwick, North Berwick, Sanford, Lebanon, and Acton. 




Fig. 16.— Pile of 12U,UUU webs of the luown-tail moth gathered and destroyed at York, Mc. 

(From Ilitchings.) 

The following summer the infested areas were burlapped and given 
carefid attention, especially the one at Togus, where an attempt was 
made by the ]\Iaine department of agriculture to secure the extermi- 
nation of the insect. The work at this point was especially difficult, 
owing to the large number of people who visited the home during the 
spring and summer, and because it was not possible to remove some 
of the board walks, which furnished excellent places for the moths to 
deposit egg clusters. The trees surrounding the one infested were 
burlapped and tended during the summer, and in the fall the grounds 
were thoroughly scouted for egg clusters. In addition to the cater- 
pillars, pupse, and moths found when the burlap bands were turned, 
40 egg clusters were found and treated. 



52 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

As a result of the thorough work done only a few caterpillars and 
no egg clusters were found in the summer of 1908, and although the 
same methods have been employed as in previous years none of the 
insects was found in 1909. The last specimen taken was a caterpillar, 
July 11, 1908. It is probable that this colony has been completely 
exterminated, although the location and character of the place render 
it peculiarly liable to future infestation. Since the year 1 907 the gipsy 
moth state work has been under the general oversight of Capt. E. E. 
Philbrook, and the state force has worked in close cooperation with 
the govermnent office. The work has been especially difficult, owing 
to the necessity for training new men, and also because the country 
along the Maine coast, which is infested, is rough and broken and fur- 
nishes opportunity for egg clusters to be hidden in situations where it 
is almost impossible to find and destroy them. During the winter of 
1908-9 scouting work was continued, and small infestations were 
found in Newfield, Waterboro, Biddeford, Saco, and Scarboro. All 
the known colonies in Maine have been given most thorough atten- 
tion, and their condition has improved each year. An important 
feature of the work has consisted in sending out scouting parties to 
examine the roadways, orchards, and places likely to be infested out- 
side of the known infested area. This has been done in a limited 
way, but more work of this character must be taken up in order to 
determine positively the extent of the infestation. During the fall of 
1909 the scouting work was pushed vigorously, not only along the road- 
ways and in the orchards, but crews of trained men were sent into the 
woodland area to make thorough inspections. Three towns, namely 
Shapleigh, Gorham, and Dayton, have been found slightly infested, 
and diu'ing the progress of the work a large woodland colony was 
found in the Agamenticus district in the town of York. The location 
of this colony is in a region seldom frequented and practically inac- 
cessible to travel. Scouting is being continued for the purpose of 
discovering any similar colonies that have not yet been found. 

The work in Maine has been carefully and thoroughly prosecuted, 
and the state officials have shown much interest and enthusiasm in 
meeting this difficult problem. A force of men has been organized 
and trained to a high degree of efficiency. During the time tlie 
work has been in progress it has met with the hearty approval and 
cooperation of citizens in the infested district. As an example of 
the esteem in which the work is held it may be stated that during the 
past year the summer residents and public-spirited citizens of York 
contributed $1,000 and purchased a power spraying machine, which 
was turned over to the Maine department of agriculture for treating 
infested areas. 

The amount appropriated by the vState from 1905 to January 1, 
1910, has been $95,000, and $50,000 additional has been used by the 
Bureau of Entomology m the moth work in Maine. 



WORK IN THE STATE OP NEW HAMPSHIRE. 53 

WORK IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

The first infestation of the gipsy moth in New Hampshire was discov- 
ered in 1905 by inspectors from the Massachusetts state office, loaned 
by agreement between Mr. Kirkland and the New Hampshire experi- 
ment station. Three experienced men were detailed and the experi- 
ment station sent Mr. W. P. Flint, an assistant in the entomological 
dei)artment, to make an examination of the trees along the roads in 
the coast towns from Seabrook to Portsm.outh. Egg clusters were 
found in these towns and also in Hampton Falls, Hampton, North 
Hampton, Kye, and Greenland. Additional scouting was done in 
Exeter and Nashua, but no evidence of the moth found. 

The brown-tail moth had already thoroughly established itself in 
southern New IIam])shire and was causing great injury to orchard, 
shade, and forest trees. 

No state funds were available for moth work. In 1906 a request 
was made for assistance from this office, soon after the first appro- 
priation was available, but it was too late to do any effective work 
against the caterpillars, and as no serious outbreak of the pest was 
evident, scouting was deferred until winter, when an examination 
showed that the gipsy moth was present in 36 municipalities in the 
southeastern part of. the State. 

At the 1907 session of the legislature a law embodying some of the 
principal features of the Massachusetts law was enacted, and $12,500 
appropriated for each of the years 1907 and 1908. The enforcement 
of the law was placed in the hands of the governor and council with 
authority to appoint a state agent, if it was deemed necessary. Dur- 
ing the first year the burlap work was let out by contract, and Mr. 
G. E. Merrill, of Hampton Falls, N. H., was employed to inspect the 
work of the contractors. 

All trees within about 100 feet of infested trees in the towns east of 
Pelham along the Massacliusetts border, and tlie coast towns to 
Portsmouth, were burlapped and tended, and although some benefit 
resulted, the amount of money available was entirely inadequate to 
accomplish satisfactory results. At the close of the year Col. Thomas 
H. Dearborn, of Dover, was appointed state agent, and has since that 
time had charge of the moth work. 

The appropriations made by the State have not heeu increased, 
although the scouting operations of the Bureau of Entomology have 
resulted in the discovery of the gipsy moth in more than 100 cities and 
towns. All of Rockingham, Strafford, and Belknap, most of Hillsboro 
and Merrimack counties, and a few towns in Carroll County are 
infested— an area of about 3,000 square miles. All the roadsides 
and orchards in this entire territory have been examined, and similar 
work has been done in a tier of towns surrounding the infested region, 



54 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

in an attempt to determine the extent of the infestation and to pre- 
vent the spread of the pests from colonies alon^]^ the highways. For 
three years the greater part of this territory has been inspected in a 
similar manner. 

During the summer thousands of people from all sections of the 
country visit the State, which is noted for its summer resorts and 
mountain scenery, and this has been a potent factor in dispersing this 
insect. Many automobile parties tour the State, and not infre- 
quently trips are made from Boston and vicinity to the White 
Mountains and lake resorts. During the time the gipsy moth was 
allowed to develop without interference in Massachusetts, excellent 
facilities were offered for its dispersion throughout New Hampshire. 
Travel is unusually heavy at the opening of the vacation season, 
which is the time when the larvae are small and most easily carried. 

The scouting operations have resulted in locating many colonies in 
and around summer camps and country houses frequented by vaca- 
tionists who come from badly infested districts in Massachusetts. 

The most serious feature of the problem in New Hampshire is the 
undoubted infestation of a large part of the thickly wooded area in the 
southern part of the State. Remedial measures are entirely imprac- 
ticable, as it is impossible to apply them to such large areas of low- 
priced forests, owing to the great expense involved. 

The greater part of the area is not yet badly infested, but unless 
the people of the State become aroused and exert themselves to 
check the gipsy moth serious injury will be caused to the trees and 
enormous loss is bound to result. 

In the residential sections the people will, when the moth increases 
to an extent to cause serious injury, undoubtedly awake to the situa- 
tion, and exert themselves to preserve their trees. 

The brown-tail moth has been found in an area covering over one- 
half of the State, and in the entire section east of the Connecticut 
River watershed and south of Lake Winnepesaukee it is most abun- 
dant and is causing great damage. Its presence has caused much 
complaint from residents and summer visitors, and this has led to 
effective work being done along the roadways and in some of the 
towns. Colonel Dearborn has succeeded in awakening considerable 
interest in this work in certain sections of the State, and some relief 
from this troublesome pest has been secured where it has been pos- 
sible to sufliciently arouse public sentiment. 

The State has spent S37,500 and the Bureau of Entomology about 
$90,000 in the work in New Hampshire. 

WORK IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. 

The presence of the gipsy moth in Providence was discovered in 
1901, and some effort was made by the city and property owners to 



WOEK IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. 55 

destroy the insect during the following two years. In 1906, the year 
after the state work was begun in Massachusetts, a law was enacted in 
Rhode Island providing for control measures against the gipsy moth. 
An appropriation of $5,100 was made. This was inadequate for the 
work, but by means of a cooperative arrangement between the state 
superintendent, Prof. A. E. Stene, and the Bureau of Entomology it 
was possible to carry on a vigorous campaign. The original infesta- 
tion was confined almost entirely to residential property, and at the 
present time very little woodland in the State of Rhode Island is 
known to be infested. 

Infestations have been found in 1 1 towns in the northeastern part 
of the State, extending from the Massachusetts line and including one 
tier of towns west of the city of Providence. The work which has 
been done has resulted in the extermination of a large number of 
small colonies, and those localities in which the moth is now present 
are of limited extent and are being given careful attention. In 
many cases the caterpillars or egg clusters were found in brush and 
undergrowth growing on dumps or unimproved building lots and 
much work has been required to clean up infestations of this 
character. 

Since the work began practically all of the State has been scouted 
except the towns north of Westerly along the Connecticut line. 

In 1907, $10,000, in 1908, $10,000, and in 1909, $8,000, was appro- 
priated for moth work, ^nd with the help which has been furnished 
by the Bureau of Entomology great progress has been made. Each 
year all the trees in the infested area have been carefully examined 
and fences, buildings, and shrubbery thoroughly inspected for egg 
clusters. In order to check up the w^ork two experts have gone over 
the territory after the regular workmen in order to ascertain if any 
egg clusters had been missed. 

During the summer of 1909 about 150,000 trees were burlapped in 
Providence and surrounding towns. These were visited twice a week 
during the caterpillar season, and all the insects found were crushed 
by the workmen. The cavities in a large number of trees in the 
infested section have been filled with cement or covered with zinc so 
that work can be more thoroughly done. In order to show the prog- 
ress which has been made in Rhode Island, it should be stated that 
during the winter of 1906-7 nearly 80,000 egg clusters were found 
and destroyed. During the following winter, 1907-8, only 7,500 egg 
clusters could be found, and in the winter 1908-9 but 1,700 were dis- 
covered and treated. It is believed that the moth has been extermi- 
nated in 4 of the 11 towns which were infested. The entire territory 
in this State is in excellent condition, and very little injury now 
results to the trees, as the insect is present only in small numbers. 
With persistent work for a number of years it should be possible 



56 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AISTD BROWN-TAlL MOTHS. 

totally to exterminate the insect in this State, but this can not be 
accomplished and the region kept free from infestation unless the 
vigorous work which is now being carried on in the other New England 
States is maintained. Throughout the period that the work has been 
in progress in Rhode Island most cordial relations have existed 
between the state superintendent and this oflice, and this is one of 
the factors which has made the work so successful. 

The amount appropriated by the State during the four years the 
work has been in progress is $33,100. In addition to this the 
National Government has expended about $28,000. 

WORK IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. 

Adult specimens of the gipsy moth were found by Mr. Ernest 
Frensch, a local collector of insects, at Stonington, Conn., near the 
Rhode Island state line during the summer of 1905. He reported 
the matter early in the year 1906 to Dr. W. E. Britton, state entomol- 
ogist of Connecticut, who at once made an investigation and found 
that the report was correct. An emergency fund was available in 
that State, and was placed at the disposal of the state entomologist 
for the purpose of stamping out the pest. 

The work has been managed in a very efficient manner, and each 
year such assistance as was desired has been furnished by the 
Bureau of Entomology. The original infestation covered practically 
1 square mile, this having been determined l)y very careful scouting 
operations. This colony has been very difficult to treat successfully 
owing to the broken and rocky character of the ground and to a large 
number of pastures and brush-covered areas which furnished excel- 
lent places in which the eggs of the moth could be deposited. In 
the autumn of 1906 a determined effort was made by the state 
entomologist to exterminate the moth in this town, and all brush 
was cut in the woodland and pastures throughout the infested area. 
The following summer the trees were burlai)ped after having been 
previously pruned and all cavities sealed with cement or patched 
with zinc. Many stone walls were burned out with a cyclone burner, 
some spraying was done during the caterpillar season, and a number 
of trees were banded with tanglefoot. Working on the theory that 
colonies originated from the introduction of caterpillars by some 
peddler or milkman or other person making frequent visits over 
quite a large area, several of the adjoining towns were scouted to 
determine if other colonies existed from which these caterpillars 
might have been distributed. No evidence was found, however, of 
outside colonies. During the summer of 1906 approximately 10,000 
caterpillars were destroyed, and during the winter of 1906-7, 118 
egg clusters were treated with creosote. By following up the methods 
already outlined the infestation has decreased each year, and during 



WORK IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. 57 

the summer of 1909 less than 100 caterpilhxrs were killed. The 
final inspection recently completed revealed the presence of only 1 
egg cluster. The condition of this colony in Connecticut is very 
satisfactory and much ci'cdit is due the state entomologist and his 
assistants for the efficient work which has been done. A small 
amount of help has been furnished by the Bureau of Entomology 
when it was desired, and it is evident that extermination can be 
accomplished by following up the work in a thorough manner, 
although the territoiy is a most difficult one to treat. 

On December 14, 1909, a letter was received from Dr. W. E. Britton 
stating that a colony of the gipsy moth had been found in the town 
of Wallingford, about 12 miles north of New Haven. Several men 
were immediately sent by him to investigate the matter thoroughly, 
to determine the amount of territory infested, and to treat egg clus- 
ters. On December 20, Mr. Rogers and Doctor Britton visited Wal- 
lingford and saw many badly infested trees near the center of the 
town. The examination which had been carried on ])revious to that 
time showed that the moth had spread over approximately one-half 
of the borough. The principal infestation was located in the rear 
of a grocery store, and during the caterpillar season delivery wagons 
and other vehicles nuist have furnished excellent opportunity for 
the spread of the insects. Undoubtedly, a considerable area will be 
found infested after a thorough examination has been made. It is 
probable that this colony has existed for at least three years, and pos- 
sibly for a longer time. The total number of egg clusters treated 
up to January 1, 1910, aggregated over 5,000. 

The presence of this bad colony, which is at least 100 miles from 
the badly infested area in Massachusetts, indicates the probability 
that other colonies may exist at equally distant points. From the 
fact that the center of the infestation appears to be near the provi- 
sion store mentioned, and also because lettuce, cucumbers, and other 
garden crops were undoubtedly shipped to this point from market 
gardens near Boston, it is possible that the infestation may have 
been caused by egg clusters brought in boxes used for transporting 
these products. If this supposition is correct, it is probable that 
many points outside the infested district in Massachusetts became 
infested in this way during the years when no work was done in that 
State. Every effort will be made to stamp out the pest in Walling- 
ford, and arrangements are on foot to place a sufficient number of 
men in the town to thoroughly inspect and treat the infested area, and 
to examine carefully the surrounding territory. 

INSPECTION OF LUMBER AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 

On March 27, 1909, a letter was received from Mr. A. M. G. Soule, 
one of the foremen in charge of the scouting work in Maine, which 



58 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

stated that while examining woodland along the railroad near Scar- 
boro Beach, Me., he found a quantity of oak shim wood, which was 
being used by the section men in repairing the track, badly infested 
with gipsy moth egg clusters. 

An investigation showed that the wood was originally shipped from 
a badly infested district near Bedford, Mass., and that it had been 
delivered at various section houses along the railroad between South 
Lawrence, Mass., and Portland, Me. By following up the deliveries, 
infested wood from this shipment was found at Kennebunk, Bidde- 
ford. Pine Point, and Scarboro Beach, Me. The entire shipment, so 
far as could be determined, was traced and the egg clusters treated 
wherever they were found. This discovery emphasized the danger 
of shipping forest products of all khids by rail after the egg clusters 
of the gipsy moth had been laid, and arrangements were at once 
made to inaugurate a system of inspection by means of which dis- 
tribution of egg clusters from the infested area to distant ]K)ints 
could be prevented. The matter was presented to the Chief of the 
Bureau of Entomology, and later a letter was sent by the Secretary 
of Agriculture to the different railroad companies operating in the 
infested district, requesting their cooperation with the Bureau of 
Entomology in preventing further spread of this insect. The offi- 
cials of the several railroads operating within the infested district 
gave assurance of their interest in the matter, and promised all 
possible assistance in confining the pest to the present territory. 
Orders were issued by the railroads to all station agents within this 
area that after July 1, 1909, forest products would be accepted for 
shipment only when accompanied by permits or certificates of inspec- 
tion from this office. As soon as shippers became acquainted with 
the requirements little delay was experienced, and the order has met 
with hearty a]>])roval and a generous spirit of cooperation. When 
such material is being forwarded from one town in the infested dis- 
trict to another known infested point, a permit to ship is granted 
after proper application has been made. The inspection of such 
shipments is not attempted unless there is special danger of trans- 
mittmg infested material. On shipments, however, that are destined 
to points outside the infested territory, inspection is made by 
employees of this office before a certificate is granted allowing ship- 
ments to move. As a result of this work, inspections have been made 
of 490 shipments, many of which were badly infested. The following 
table gives the geographical range of the shipments sent out from 
infested territory from July 1, 1909, to January 1, 1910. Each 
shipment averaged about a carload lot, although in some cases as 
high as 10 carloads were examined for a single shipment. Over 
1,000 cars of forest products have been shipped from the infested 



INSPECTION OP LUMBER AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



59 



district in Maine durin*:; this period. Practically all the lumber 
region in this State is outside the infested area. 

This material consisted chiefly of railroad ties, posts, poles, cord 
wood, bark, staves, rough lumber, and, in the last few weeks of 1909, 
small evergreen trees for the Christmas trade. The enforcement of 
the inspection requirements has resulted in a large amount of addi- 
tional work for this office, but as several badly infested shipments 
have been prevented, the expense of the work has been amply 
justified. A large shipment of lumber consigned to Ilolyoke, Mass., 
was found badly infested, and held until it could be thoroughly 
inspected and treated before it was allowed on the cars. Lumber 
which was destined to Philadelphia, Pa., and other points as far 
removed from the infested region was also held up for thorough 
ins]:)ection and certification. This has ]:)een the means of preventing 
a number of colonies from gaining a foothold in States outside of 
New England. 



Number and gcoc/raphicnl distrihution of lumber shipments forwarded to uninfesfed points. 

CONNECTICUT. MASSACHUSETTS — Cont'd. NEW HAMPSiriRE — Cont'd. 



Ansonia, 4. 
Bridgeport, 11. 
Danbury, 2. 
Derby, 2. 
Greenwich, 1. 
Hartford, 7. 
Litchfield, 1. 
Lyme, 1. 
Meriden, 3. 
New Haven, 13. 
New London, 2. 
Norwich, 2. 
Seymour, 6. 
Torrington, 2. 
Waterbury, 5. 

ILLINOIS. 

Chicago, 1. 

MAINE. 

Auburn, 1. 
Buxton, 2. 
Freyeburg, 2. 
Millinocket, 2. 
Portland, 35. 
Westbrook, 4. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Acushnet, 1. 
Amherst, 1. 



Athol, 3. 
Barre, 2. 
Fair Haven, 1. 
Fall River, 7. 
Holyoke, 25. 
New Bedford, 4. 
Northampton, 1. 
Royalston, 1. 
Shelburne, 1. 
Southbridge, 2. 
Springfield, 2. 
Ware, 2. 
Winchendon, 2. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

Berlin, 1. 
Campton, 1. 
Canaan, 2. 
Claremont, 1. 
Conway, 1. 
Gorham, 1. 
Greenfield, 4. 
Hancock, 2. 
Harrisville, 6. 
Haverhill, 4. 
Keene, 10. 
Lisbon, 1. 
Madison, 2. 
Marlboro, 3. 
Newport, 2. 



Peterboro, 9. 
Plymouth, 1. 
Rumney, 1. 
Swanzey, 1. 
Winchester, 1. 

NEW JERSEY. 

Camden, 2. 
Edgewater, 1. 
Edge worth, 1. 
Helmetta, 1. 
Hoboken, 1. 
Irvington, 1. 
Jersey City, 2, 
Key port, 1. 
Newark, 3. 
New Brunswick, 2. 
Passaic, 3. 
Paterson, 1. 

NEW YORK. 

Albany, 1. 
Arden, 1. 
Brooklyn, 1. 
Claremont Park, 1. 
Cornwall, 2. 
Dunkirk, 2. 
Hornell, 1. 
Ilion, 1. 
Kingston, 1. 



60 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



NEW YORK — continued. 

Long Island City, 2. 
Morris Heights, 1. 
Mount Kisco, 1. 
New Hartford, 2. 
New Rochelle, 1. 
New York City, 7. 
Oneida, 1. 
Peekskill, 1. 
Port Chester, 1. 
St. Johnsville, 1. 
Seacliff, 1. 
White Plains, 2. 



Sandusky, 5. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



AUentown, 1. 
Pen Argyl, 1. 
Philadelphia, 18. 



RHODE ISLAND. 



Bristol, 2. 

Coventry, 2. 
Newport, 2. 
Woonsocket, 2. 



Barton, 4. 
Bellows Falls, 1. 
Brattleboro, 1. 
Lyndon, 1. 
St. Johnsbury, 1. 

DISTRICT OP COLUMBIA. 

Washington, 2. 



Aside from the certificates required for shipping forest products 
outside the infested territory, a large number of permits, aggregating 
2,624 to January 1, 1910, have been issued allowing the transporta- 
tion of these products inside the infested district." 

This inspection feature of the work is of great importance and 
must be well organized and thoroughly enforced if the gipsy moth is 
to be prevented from becoming established at distant points. This 
is especially true, since at the present time large forest areas are 
heavily infested, and in order to harvest the marketable lumber 
many owners are cutting and shipping. Where large cutting opera- 
tions are carried on it is customary to use portable sawmills, and 
the rough lumber is often piled in the woodland where it may remain 
one or two seasons. This may result in the lumber becoming badly 
infested with egg clusters. (See PL VIII.) A number of cases have 
been found which indicate that the moth has been spread by the 
removal of these portable sawmills from one infested area to another 
where no infestation existed. 

The report has recently been received that gipsy moth egg clusters 
were found in Providence, R. I., on boxes which had been used 
by market gardeners in shipping their produce. This feature con- 
cerning the spread of the moth is very difficult to regulate, and about 
the only measure seems to be the requiring of shippers of such prod- 
uce to keep their grounds and premises free from the pest. The 
thorough inspection and cleaning up of such premises will undoubt- 
edly result in checking the spread of the insect in this way. 

DANGER OF INTRODUCING THE GIPSY MOTH AND BROWN-TAIL 
MOTH FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 

The suppression and inspection work which is being carried on 
in New England of course can not prevent the introduction of these 

a From January 1, 1910, to May 25, 1910, 227 certificates and 102 permits were 
issued. Several infested shipments were found, which were carefully treated before 
being released. In addition to the New England States these shipments were sent 
to New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and Ohio. 



Bui, 87, Bureau of Entomology, U, S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate VIII. 




DANGER OF INTRODUCTION FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 61 

pests from foreign countries, and unfortunately at the present time 
there is no effective general law which provides for the inspection of 
nursery stock or other products, coming into the country, on which 
these insects are likely to be transported. Most of the States have 
nursery inspection laws which are enforced with special reference 
to preventing the introduction and spread within the State of the San 
Jose scale and other dangerously injurious insect pests. Most of 
these laws are well enforced, and the oliicials in charge have been 
provided with sufficient funds to carry on the work. The ports of 
entry, which are controlled by the United States Government, have 
not come under the jurisdiction of the State officials, and when inspec- 
tions were made of stock coming to the United States from foreign 
countries, they have been carried on at the point of destination. 
Little attention was given to this feature of nursery inspection work 
until during the winter of 1909 discovery was made by the inspectors 
working under the direction of the commissioner of agriculture of 
New York that seedling nursery stock imported from France was 
being received at various nurseries in the State, which in many cases 
bore webs containing hibernating caterpillars of the brown-tail moth. 
This matter was given immediate attention, and the inspectors in the 
different States were cautioned, both by the commissioner of agricul- 
ture of New York and the Chief of the Bureau of Entomology at 
Washington, to be on the lookout for such stock. As a result of 
this warning and of the arrangements made by the Bureau of Ento- 
mology with the custom-house officials, notice was sent to inspectors 
in all of the States of the arrival of any nursery stock shipments in 
this country, so that an inspection could be made as soon as the stock 
reached its destination. Most of tlie States followed up the ship- 
ments energetically, and carefully inspected them, but in a few 
where no funds were available for doing the work the local inspector 
was deputized by the Bureau of Entomology to examine the importa- 
tions and the work was paid for out of the appropriation for prevent- 
ing the spread of moths which had been made for carrying out the 
campaign in New England. 

At the close of the season it was found that brown-tail moths 
had been found in shipments of stock that had been received in 15 
different States, viz, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Ken- 
tucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, 
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In New York 
State alone over 7,000 webs were found and destroyed. A single 
egg cluster of the gipsy moth was found in a shipment received 
in Ohio. 

A bffl (H. R. 23252, 61st Congress, 2d Session) "To provide for the 
introduction of foreign nursery stock by permit only, and to authorize 
the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a quarantine against the 



62 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

importation and against the transportation in interstate commerce 
of diseased nursery stock or nursery stock infested with injurious 
insects, and making an appropriation to carry the same into effect" 
is now under consideration by the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and it is earnestly hoped that it may 
receive favorable action. The urgent need of some legislation of this 
character should be aj)parent to any person who has given the matter 
serious thought. From a financial point of view it is much easier 
and cheaper to stamp out a few insects before they have had an 
opportunity to gain a foothold in this country than to attempt to 
exterminate or suppress them after they have had a chance to multi- 
ply and become acclimated. 

EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN THE CONTROL OF THE GIPSY AND 
BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

During the progress of the field work on the gipsy and brown-tail 
moths it has been necessary to carry on a limited number of experi- 
ments and to make investigations so that more economical methods 
could be used in destroying these insects. It has been known for 
years that a single defoliation will cause the death of pine or other 
coniferous trees and some of the men engaged in the field work 
reported that small caterpillars of the gipsy moth did not appear to 
feed on the foliage of these trees. In 1907 Mr. F. H. Mosher, one of 
the entomologists connected with the Massachusetts work, carried 
on an extensive series of experiments in feeding newly hatched 
gipsy-moth caterpillars on pine foliage. The results secured showed 
that the caterpillars would starve rather than eat the food offered, 
and as a result of this test it became evident that it was necessary for 
the small caterpillars to have a considerable amount of deciduous food 
before they were able to attack pine. Using these experiments as a 
basis, an extensive field test was made in the spring of 1908 by the 
Bureau of Entomology in cooperation with the Massachusetts state 
ollice. 

An area of about 5 acres of pine woodland located in Arlington, 
Mass., was selected for the test. The woodland was surrounded by 
farm land upon which were growing many fruit and shade trees, as 
well as a considerable amount of brush and undergrowth, all of which 
was very badly infested with the gipsy moth. The pine trees were 
banded with tanglefoot early in the spring and no other treatment 
was applied except combing the bands. These trees, as well as the 
deciduous trees on the surrounding ground, were badly infested with 
egg clusters of the gipsy moth. After the caterpillars hatched, the 
deciduous trees were badly defoliated, but no injury resulted to the 
pmes. The small caterpillars in the pine trees, being unable to secure 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate IX. 




Fig. 1.— Pine Grove Killed by the Gipsy Moth. (Original.) 




Fig. 2.- 



-PiNE Trees that have been Protected from the Attacks of the 
Gipsy Moth. (Original.) 



i 



I 

4 



METHODS NOW USED IN FIGHTING THE GIPSY MOTH. 63 

proper food for their development, eitlier died or spun down to tlie 
ground and migrated to the deciduous growth. Owing to the sticky 
bands on the trunks of the trees it was impossible for the caterpillars 
to again ascend to the foliage. This experiment was checked up by 
several other tests made by the state odice, all of which showed the 
same results. (See PI. IX, figs. 1, 2.) 

The practice at present in liandling coniferous woodland is to cut 
out all the deciduous growth which will furnish .food for the young 
caterpillars, and if the pines are well l)anded with tanglefoot early 
in the summer, and these bands kept viscid during tlie caterpillar 
season, no further treatment is necessary. These experiments have 
resulted in the adoption of a simple and comparatively cheap method 
of preventing the destruction of valuable coniferous woodland, and 
as trees of this character grow satisfactorily in most sections of the 
infested district it is possible to preserve and develop pine forests 
at a moderate expense, regardless of the presence of the gipsy moth 
in surrounding territory. 

The greater part of the experimental work has been along the line 
of developing more elficient spraying methods. The use of the tower 
on power sprayers, which will l)e more fully explained later in this 
report, has resulted in a great saving in cost of treatment. In the 
summer of 1909 several tests were made with large spraying machines 
to determine tlie most effective pressures and the best size of nozzle 
outlets. The results indicate that on the average a ^-incli nozzle of 
the type described later in this report will carry tlie spray 20 feet 
farther than a ^^-incli nozzle, and that it is necessary to maintain a 
pressure of over 200 pounds in order to secure satisfactory results. 
There are many opportunities for perfecting the present spraying 
outfit, and much thought is being given this matter both by the 
Bureau and state officials as well as by manufacturers who at the 
present time are selling many spraying machines in the infested 
region. The activity in perfecting devices will undoubtedly result 
in better and more economical methods in the future. 

METHODS NOW USED IN FIGHTING THE GIPSY MOTH. 

Most of the methods used for destroying the gipsy moth have 
already been mentioned, and a large number of them were in success- 
ful use at the time the work was being carried on by the State of 
Massachusetts during the nineties. Such methods as treating egg 
clusters, cleaning up brush, thinning infested woodlands, and general 
clearing-up measures have not been improved to a great extent. The 
use of burlap has been continued from year to year, but owing to the 
expense involved in applying and tending it throughout the season 
it is not now considered as satisfactory a method as the more recent 



64 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-fAIL MOTHS. 



system of bantling the trees with tanglefoot. This is especially 
true since the brown-tail moth became abundant in the orchards and 
woodlands. Many of the caterpillars of this insect seek the burlaps 
when they are about to spin their cocoons for the purpose of pupation, 
and the serious poisoning which results to the men employed when 
turning such burlaps makes thorough work well-nigh impossible. 
Every season hundreds of men suffer extremely from this trouble, and 
in many cases efTicient and well-trained workers are obliged to resign 
rather than attempt to continue on the work. This is leading to a 
general discontinuance of the burlap method of treating the gipsy 
moth. The tanglefoot bands are very satisfactory and the men are 
enabled to work with less discomfort. The methods used in cutting 
out zones along infested roadways has been in strict accordance with 
the latest ideas of modern forestry. 




Fig. 17.— Roadside area, showing liow the grass Iras l)eon induced to grow by thinning out the trees and 
clearing away the underbrush in gipsy-moth control work. (Original.) 

By adopting the best known methods in thinning and pruning, the 
trees which remain are in sound condition, and with the care which 
is given from year to year after the roadways have once been thinned 
they have a favorable opportunity to make a satisfactory growth. 
In many of these cleaned areas, which are kept free from under- 
growth by mowing them in August, it has been possible to induce a 
stand of grass which greatly improves the entire appearance and 
condition of the roadside. (See fig. 17.) 

Perhaps the greatest advancement has been made in spraying 
with arsenicals. Since the discovery of arsenate of lead tliis sub- 
stance has practical superseded all other poisons for use against 
leaf -eating insects of all kinds. During the season of 1909 nearly 



METHODS' x>IOVV USED IN FIGHTING THE GIPSY MOTH. 65 

500 tons of this poison were used in New England for spraying the 
trees. Considerable spraying was done to destroy the elm leaf- 
beetle (Galerucella luteola MiilL), and this poison was used exclu- 
sively in the work. The best results are secured in spraying for the 
gipsy moth when the caterpillars are very small, but in covering so 
large an area it is impossible to ])rovide machines enough to do all 
the work early in the season. Ten pounds of arsenate of lead to 
100 gallons of water is a satisfactory strength to use, but after the 
caterpillars are half grown it is often desirable to increase this amount 
to 12 or 15 pounds to the same amount of water. Spraying late in 
the season after the larvae are nearly fullgrown is of doubtful advan- 
tage, as the caterpillars are very resistant to poison, and as a rule 
will })upate and transform to moths. 

The power spraying machines used in 1909 were superior in every 
way to any that had been designed previously, ami plans for im- 
])rovements on these machines have been considered for the work 
next season. Barrel sprayers fitted with hand pumps are used to 
some extent for treating shrubber}^ and orchards, and in some cases 
high trees are treated by using these outfits, especially when it is neces- 
sary to prevent buildings from becoming discolored by the poison. 
The use of these small outfits is impracticable when it is necessary 
to cover in a period of six weeks the large areas which must be 
sprayed, and as a result of varied tests of power outfits a system has 
been devised for using what is known as ''solid-stream spray." 

About 1895 Mr. J. A. Pettegrew, who was then superintendent of 
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N. Y., constructed a steam spraying outfit 
for use in treating the trees which were being severely injured by the 
elm leaf-beetle. Sufficient pressure was developed to spray high 
trees from the ground, the shape of the nozzle being such that a solid 
stream was carried high in the air, where it was broken into a mist. 
This s[)rayer was described and illustrated by Dr. L. O. Howard in 
an article on spraying.*^ Soon after Mr. Pettegrew became superin- 
tendent of the Boston city parks he used a similar outfit for spraying. 

In 1905, this method of treatment was tested by Gen. S. C. Law- 
rence, of Medford, Mass., who was carrying on extensive spraying 
operations to protect the trees from the gipsy moth. This outfit 
was built by a Boston firm, and was equipped with a high-power 
gasoline engine instead of with steam to generate power. The 
experiment was successful and since that time the use of outfits built 
on the same general lines has been gradually increasing. Mr. George 
H. Kermeen, one of the representatives of the firm alluded to, was 
an early advocate of this system of spraying, and in addition to 

""The use of steam apparatus for spraying," Year'r'(?bk, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, 1896. 

40705°— Bull. 87—10 5 



66 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

making improvements in the outfits succeeded in interesting many 
people in their use. 

Experiments were carried on under the (Hrection of Mr. A. IT. 
Kirkland and Mr. L. H. Worthley, and others connected with the 
state office in Massachusetts, and considerable work along this line 
has been attempted by Mr. Rogers and others connected with this 
office, and the results have been of benefit to all workers against the 
moths. The most successful machine thus far designed is provided 
with a multiple-cylinder (usually triplex) pump which is connected 
by a clutch to a gasoline engine of the marine or auto type. The 
engine is provided with two or more cylinders. The four-cycle type 
of engine has given the most successful results. A bronze pump is 
used, as this metal accommodates itself to sudden fluctuations in 
pressure and is not affected as readily with arsenate of lead as those 
made of cast iron. 

The pump must be capable of delivering 35 gallons per minute and 
maintain a pump pressure of at least 200 pountls. This re(iuires a 
lO-horsejjower engine. Piping is arranged so that water may be 
pumped into tiie tank from accessible wells, ponds, or streams, and 
solution })umj)ed from the tank and not discharged by the nozzle 
returns either to the tank or into the pump suction. A large, strong 
air-chamber is necessary in order to avoid sharp shocks to the pump 
antl also to equalize the })ressure. Batteries should be jilaced where 
there is as little jarring as possible, away from the heat of the engine, 
and where water will not reach them. One of our machines has been 
fitted with a magneto with excellent results. Engines and motors of 
the two and four cycle types have been used antl both water and air 
cooled engines have been tested. Until recently only gas engines of 
the stationary type were used, but last summer the two-cylinder 
marine motor, water cooled, gave excellent results, and a four-cylin- 
der engine of this class will perhaps be still more satisfactory. 

The agitation of the solution is accomplished by a shaft fitted with 
2 or 3 two-bladed j)ropellers, which passes through the lower part of 
the tank. It is operated by the engine so that the poison is thoroughly 
mixed. One-and-one-fourth-inch hose has been used for spraying 
with these machines, but at the present time 1-inch hose is coming 
into favor. The nozzle is of much the same type as that used on fire 
hose, being fitted for interchangeable tips, varying from |-inch to 
j-inch aperture. 

The machinery is mounted on the back part of a wagon truck, the 
front part being occupied by a 400-gallon to 500-gallon U-shaped 
tank. The trucks are as short as possible to accommodate the tank 
and necessary machmery and are provided with stout springs and 
brake. They are also built so that the front wheels will cut under 
the tank, as this is of advantage in turnmg around in narrow streets. 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agricultur 



Plate X. 




Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate XI. 




High-power Spraying Outfit in use in Treating Roadside Trees. (Original.) 



METHODS NOW USED IN FIGHTING THE GIPSY MOTH. 67 

When a niaclunc of this (vj)c (PI. X) is used and a pressure held 
at from 200 to 250 |)()uiuls, trees from 60 to 75 feet high can be thor- 
oughly sprayed from the ground. It is necessary in spraying the 
woodland areas to use long lines of hose, and this requires the use of 
a considerable number of men to move the hose about rajndly, so 
that the sjjray material can be well distributed by the man holding 
the nozzle. In the work along roadsides this system was used in 
1907 with satisfactory results, but the time required for moving the 
hose greatly increased the cost of treatment. In order to diminish 
the cost of applying poison to the roadside areas, and also to enable 
the workmen to treat a greater mileage in a given length of time, a 
special arrangement was devised by Mr. Rogers which is known as a 
"water tower." This is set up on top of the tank and is mounted on 
a mast 6^ feet high made of 2J-inch piping which is provided with 
braces to hold it in perpendicular position. It is attached to the top 
of the tank with bolts so that it can be laid down when not in use. 
At the top of the mast is a threaded street L made on free to the mast 
and a T is made onto the L in such a manner as to provide what is 
practically a universal joint. Through the T a length of H-inch, 
16-gauge steel tubing is placetl, which is fitted with collars to hold it 
firmly in position. The tube is about 20 feet long; at the outer end 
the nozzle is attached, while to the other, which extends only 
about 4 feet from the point of attachment to the mast, is coupled the 
hose carrying the solution. 

The tube near the end where the hose enters is reenforced by a 
(juantity of lead which makes it nearly balanced on the mast. The 
nozzle is raised by lowering the reenforced end of the tube, and when 
the sprayer is in operation the nozzle is about 25 feet from the ground. 
With this arrangement, if the pressure is maintained at 200 pounds 
and a J-inch nozzle used, trees 80 to 90 feet in height can be readily 
sprayed. If the wind is light or favorable, a strip along one side of 
the road 100 feet deep, or more, can be treated. It is impossible to 
use this arrangement with satisfactory results if the wind is blowing 
from the strip, but under favorable conditions good work can be 
done if the sprayer moves along the road while the machine is in 
operation. (See PI. XL) It is more effective to spray these strips 
twice, as this assures better distribution of the poison. A modifica- 
tion of this system was tried during the past summer and consisted 
simply of using the tower for elevating the spray and treating the 
high trees and growth as far back as possible from the roadway, while 
at the same time another hand nozzle, with smaller tip of the same 
type as the one on the tower, was operated by a man standing on the 
top of the tank. The latter nozzle was used for treating the trees 
close to the road, and l)y this modification more thorough work was 
done. (See fig. 18.) 



68 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



It is obvious that the tower can not be used except for treatment 
of roadsides, and where woodland areas are to be sprayed it is often 
necessary to hiy k)ng hnes of hose from the sprayer, which should 
be located as near as possible to a supply of water. The State of 
Massachusetts has conducted large spraying operations over thousands 
of acres of forests of this character in the North Shore district with 
excellent results. In some cases a line of hose more than one-fourth 
of a mile long has been used, and it was possible to maintain sufficient 
pressure at the nozzle to do satisfactory work. Woodland work 
of this character is very expensive, owing especially to the amount 
of labor required to carry the hose. A machine and crew of men 
can usually cover about 12 acres of woodland per day, the entire 
cost of treatment averaging about SIO per acre. Roadsides can be 




Fig. 18. — Spraying a roadside, using a combination tower and liand nozzle, so as to throw two streams. 

(Original.) 

treated, where the tower is used, for about $2 per acre, and it is 
possible under favorable conditions to spray 2 miles in a single day. 

With the last mentioned outfit it is necessary to employ two men 
to operate the nozzles, an engineer to look after the machine, and a 
team and driver. A driver with a horse and wagon accompanies 
each sprayer with a supply of poison, gasoline, extra hose, etc. 
The driver of the supply wagon is required to post warning notices 
in the treated strips, which indicate that spraying has been done, so 
that owners of cows and other animals will not permit them to feed 
on the sprayed foliage or grass. 

Under favorable circumstances from 4,000 to 5,000 gallons is 
sprayed out in S hours, but this amount is sometimes reduced by 
each machine, owing to pump or engine troubles. 



METHODS NOW USED IN FIGHTING THE GIPSY MOTH. 69 

COST OF METHODS EMPLOYED. 

In the <!jipsY inoth Avork it is very necessary to know the approxi- 
mate cost of cleaning? up or caring for any given infested area. The 
treatment work attempted by the Bureau has been principally 
along the line of cai'ing for trees growing near wooded roadsides, 
while that of the States has covered infested areas of all kinds. In 
the latter work, especially in woodland areas, much money has been 
expended in thinning out the trees and putting the forests in the 
best possible condition, so that the moth can be successfully treated. 
Special attention has been paid to leaving trees which would be the 
most profitable, and also those which are to some extent immune 
from the feeding of the insect. 

Mr. Ij. H. Worthley, assistant forester in charge of moth work for 
the State of Massachusetts, who has had wide experience in cutting- 
out operations, states that woodland can be properly thinned (not 
pruned) and put in condition for treatment measures against the gipsy 
moth at a cost ranging from $15 to $35 an acre. This variation 
depends on the character and size of the trees to be cut. The first 
roadside woi'k done by this office where considerable heavy timber was 
cut cost about $40 an acre for thinning, burning, pruning, and creosot- 
ing egg clusters. As the force of men became more experienced in the 
work it has been possible to reduce the expense of cutting out these 
roadside strips. The average cost of work on over 30 miles of 
strips last fall amounte<l to $27.50 an acre. It may seem at first 
glance as though this method required an excessive expenditure of 
money; nevertheless it should be stated that the gipsy moth can not 
be successfully controlled unless the woodland is properly thinned 
and dead wood removed. In addition to this, if hollow trees are 
allowed to remain it is almost impossible to keep the insect in sub- 
jection. Another feature which should be pointed out is that 
■although the first expense of cutting is large, the cost of caring for 
the area in future years is greatly reduced. Our data show that as 
a result of putting the roadsides in good condition for future treat- 
ment it has been possible to reduce the amount each year which must 
be expended for destroying the caterpillars and egg clusters. 

Many experiments have been carried on for the purpose of decreas- 
ing the cost of spraying work. The adoption of the water tower 
on the tanks has materially assisted in this direction. A careful 
record of the spraying this year shows that over 360 miles of roadway 
were sprayed on both sides. By taking into account the entire cost, 
including labor, poison, supplies, fuel, and a liberal allowance for 
depreciation on the outfits used, it should be possible to spray road- 
sides for about $2 an acre. 



70 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

If spraying' could bo relied on to control the gipsy moth, tlio pjob- 
leni would be greatly siniplihed, but unfortunately jt is impossible to 
destroy all the caterpillars by spraying, and it is usually necessary to 
supplement the work either with burlap or tanglefoot, and to creosote 
all of the egg clusters that can be located during the winter. The 
cost of these methods is difficult to determine, as there is much varia- 
tion in expense owing to the character of the infestation, the size 
of trees, and the locality in which the work is to be done. In gen- 
eral it may be said that wootlland can be pruned, egg clusters creo- 
soted, and brush cut and burned for $25. to $30 an acre ; tanglefoot 
applied and tended for the season for $5 to $6; sprayed for $2 to $10; 
creosoted the following winter for $5, and should be kept free from 
injury by the gipsy moth for $2 an acre for each year thereafter. 

VALUE OF NATURAL, ENEMIES IN CONTROLLING GIPSY AND 
BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

The influence exerted by native birds and insect enemies of the gipsy 
and brown-tail moths in this country has already been mentioned. 
As soon as the work was resumed by the State of Massachusetts, 
it was found that in some sections of the territory infested by the 
brown-tail moth large numbers of caterpillaivs were dying from a 
fungous disease. The matter was investigated by assistants em- 
ployed by Mr. Kirkland in 1906, and specimens of the disease- 
bearing caterpillars were referred to Dr. Geo. E. Stone, botanist of 
the Massachusetts agricultural college, who stated that the cause of 
the death of the caterpillars was a fungus known as Empum aulicse 
Reichardt. This disease destroyed millions of caterpillars during 
the spring and early summer of 1906, and it has been found quite 
frequently since that time in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and 
Maine. It works on both small caterpillars in the webs and the 
larger ones which feed during the early summer. This has assisted 
in checking the increase of the insect, especially in the sections of 
Massachusetts where it first became seriously injurious. The devel- 
opment of this fungus is influenced largely by weather conditions 
and during some years it has not greatly reduced the number of 
caterpillars. 

During the past two or three years large numbers of caterpillars 
of the gipsy moth have died from a disease which is popularly known 
as the "wilt" or caterpillar cholera. This has been prevalent par- 
ticularly in badly infested areas, especially in woodland, where 
many of the trees have been nearly defoliated. It seems to develop 
more rapidly on caterpillars which have not had sufficient nourish- 
ment, although in some places it was present where a considerable 
amount of foliage remained. The caterpillars attacked by this 
trouble become sluggish and soon ilie, the inside of the body becoming 



INTRODUCTION OF PARASITES AND NATURAL ENEMIES. 71 

soiiiiliquid aiid j)iilii(l. When the cholcrii is j)i'('VMlent, the trunks 
of trees below tanglefoot or burlap bands, where the caterpillars con- 
gregate, are sometimes completely covered with dead or dying larvsB. 
Isolated cases of caterpillars that had died from this disease were 
observed previous to the year 1900, but at that time the insects 
killed by it were relatively few. This trouble, which is supposed 
to be a disease known as "flacherie," was recognized as fatal to 
the silkworm many years ago. 

Both of the diseases above mentioned are being carefully inves- 
tigated by specialists of Harvard University in cooperation with the 
office of the Massachusetts state forester. 

THE INTRODUCTION OF PARASITES AND NATURAL ENEMIES OF 
THE GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

Although the work of introducing parasites and natural enemies 
of the gipsy and brown-tail moths is entirely separate from the field 
work which is being carried on for the control of the insects mentioned, 
a brief statement is made concerning it, as it has an enormous prac- 
tical bearing on the problem at hand. 

It is evident that if the natural enemies of these insects can be 
introduced into the infested district in large numbers and be able 
to survive our climatic conditions and reproduce in the same ratio 
that they do in their native homes, it should be possible by this means 
to largely curtail the destruction that is now prevalent in New Eng- 
land. An effort in this direction has been carried on for the past 
four years by the Bureau of Entomology in cooperation with the State 
of Massachusetts, and Dr. I^. O. Howard, Chief of the Bureau, has 
had the matter in charge. 

A considerable number of parasites and natural enemies have been 
received and liberated, and conditions at the present time seem to 
warrant the liope that eventually much good will result from this 
work. It should be borne in mind, however, by some of those who 
are overenthusiastic as to the possibilities of controlling the insect 
pests by means of their parasites or natural enemies, that few cases 
are on record where work of this sort has been entirely effectual. 
Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the gipsy moth was lib- 
erated in this country nearly twenty years before it became such 
a serious pest as to cause widespread notice and the adoption of 
active measures for its suppression. This being the case, it will 
undoubtedly be several years before it will be possible to notice 
definite results from the reproduction of parasites in the field, and 
until it has been demonstrated that natural enemies can control the 
situation it is folly to curtail the amount of hand work which is being 
employed for the destruction of these pests. 



72 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

VALUE OF THE WORK OF SUPPRESSION TO THE FARMER AND 

FRUIT GROWER. 

From what has been aheady mentioned in this iei)()it it nuist be 
apparent that the strenuous effort being made to control the spread 
of the gipsy and brown-tail moths is of great value to farmers 
and fruit growers, especially to those who live outside the infested 
district. Should these insects spread over the United States and 
cover the same range which they now occupy in foreign countries 
the cost of controlling them and the damage which would result to 
orchards and to forest and shade trees would be enormous. The 
more progressive citizens throughout the country who understand 
the situation must appreciate the danger of the spread of these pests 
and are undoubtedly in sympathy with the work which is being car- 
ried on to restrict their increase. The residents of the infested dis- 
trict who have seen the devastation caused understand the necessity 
for thorough and persistent work if the trees are to be preserved. 
(See PI. XII.) This is especially true in cities and towns where 
most of the shade trees have a desperate struggle to maintain an 
existence and where, owing to unfavorable conditions for tree 
growth, it is difficult to replace trees which have died from any cause. 
The hand methods of suppression which are being used are the best 
that have been devised and new or more effective methods are 
eagerly sought for by all who have a hand in managing the work. 

The introduction of parasites and natural enemies, and the study 
and attempt to make use of the diseases of the insect which are 
known to exist, are being pushed as rapidly as possible. Both 
branches of the work are being conducted for the ultimate benefit 
of the property owners in the infested district and for the protection 
of all those who are fortunate enough to reside beyond its limits. 
The cost of protecting trees from such well-known insects as the San 
Jose scale, the codling moth, the elm leaf-beetle, and many other 
insects which prey upon them in more or less restricted localities 
throughout the United States, represents an enormous annual ex- 
penditure of money. This cost is ultimately met by the consumer 
of the products, and in the moth-infested district (fig. 19) by the 
tenant who lives on the property where ti-eatment is applied. 

SUGGESTIONS TO THE OWNERS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY IN THE 
INFESTED DISTRICTS. 

It is evident that little progress can be made in controlling such 
insects as the gipsy and brown-tail moths without the hearty coopera- 
tion and intelligent interest of owners of private property in the 
infested districts. As a rule, owners have shown great appreciation 
of the work which is being carried on and many have expentletl large 
sums of money in caring for the trees on their own property. In sec- 



Bui. 87, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate XII. 




View Showing Contrast Between Trees Protected from the Gipsy and Brown- 
tail Moths and those Unprotected. (Original.) 

[The tree at the left is an oak defoliated by brown-tail caterpillars and containing many of their 

webs at tips of branches.] 



SUGGESTIONS TO OWNERS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY. 



78 



tions wliich aro now only sli<:;li(ly intVslcd l(>ss inleiosi is takcMi in llic 
matter because of the fact tliai lew of the citizens thoiougliiy under- 
stand the (himage which tliese })ests are cai)al)k^ of inflicting. 

Owners of orchards are advised that if iiKxhun methods of horti- 
cultural practice are adopted it is possible to ])ut their trees on a 
paying commercial basis in s])ite of the presence of these insects. 

Too many New Eng- 
land orchards yield no 
great revenue at the 
present time because of 
neglect, which is either 
due to lack of interest 
in caring for the trees 
or to ignorance of the 
possibility of making 
them sources of reve- 
nue. (See fig. 20.) 
Few intelligent farmers 
expect to harvest a 
profitable crop of pota- 
toes without giving the 
land proper culture and 
treating the vines to 
protect them from the 
ravages of the potato 
beetle, and if tlie owner 
of fruit trees expects 
an income from this 
source he must give his 
orchards the best of 
care and ])rotect the 
trees and fruit from the 
many insect enemies 
which prey upon them. 
The orchards of New 
England should be tlior- 




FiG. 19.— Map of New England, showing present area infested 
with the gipsy moth and the lirown-tail moth. The lilaclc area is 
that infested with the gips3'moth; the brown-tail moth ooeupies 
all of the area to the right of the black line. (Original.) 



oughly pruned and trees wliich do not yield good varieties of fruit or 
which are in poor condition should be cut down and burned. Those 
remaining should be sprayed to destroy the insect pests which already 
attack them, and if the gipsy and l)rown-tail moths are present the 
additional expense of fighting them will not jnevent the growing of 
a profitable crop. 

Owners of woodland on which the trees are of marketable size 
should cut the timber if the gipsy moth is prevalent in the region. 
Care should be taken in doing this work to cut out all -jioor and 



74 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



worthless trees, and if possible to leave for reforesting purposes 
vigorous specimens of ash, maple, pine, or coniferous trees of which 
the insect is not especially fond and which can be protected with the 
least possible expense. (See fig. 21.) 

The planting or preservation of ash and hickory is recommended 
as the wood is of high value and these trees are not subject to attack 
by the brown-tail moth. Planting pine or other coniferous trees for 
reforesting purposes is also advisable, as the region is suited to their 
growth and these can be protected from moth injury at slight expense. 

It is probable that many of the forests containing oak or other 
trees which are preferred by these insects must in time give way 
to species less subject to attack. In the meantime the owner 
should take advantage of the opportunity to harvest his merchant- 




FlG. 20.— Neglected aiiplc uiL-liaia in which the trees have heeii killcl l.y thr j;i|iiy iiiulli ( i )ii.;iiial.) 

a])le trees that are susceptible to attack and foster the growth of 
other species that will not be destroyed. 

In cities and towns much progress can be made by cutting out 
neglected areas of worthless trees and in some sections the number 
of trees on the streets or on private property can be reduced and still 
provide as much shade as is desirable. If this work is intelligentl}'' 
done no injury will result to the property; in fact, a direct benefit 
will accrue and the cost of future work required to hold the moths 
within reasonable bounds will be greatly decreased. 

THE OUTLOOK. 

At the time the work on the gipsy motli was abandoned by the 
State of Massachusetts in 1900, over $1,000,000 had been spent in 
an attempt to exterminate the pest. Since the work was resumed in 
1905 nearly .14,000,000 has been expended by the different States in 




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THE OUTLOOK. 



75 



New England, which arc infested with the <;i|)sy (»i- hrown-tail moths, 
by private pr()i)crty owners, and by the United vStates (lovcrnment, 
in an attem[)t to sui)prcss thc^in and to prevent their furtlier (Hssemi- 
nation. Every known means which promised good results in accom- 
])lishing this end has been tried in the field. The best methods of hand 
sui)pression have been carried on (extensively and foreign countries 
have been literally ransacked for parasitic and predaceous enemies 
of the moths in the hope that they may in due time develop into a 
most important factor in checking the ravages of these insects. 
Owing to the ability of both sexes of the brown-tail moth to fly con- 
siderable distances, it has been impossible to prevent its rapid spread 
to new localities (see fig. 22), but the methods employed in the worst 




Fig. 21. — View of a liill where all the tiiiil)er was cut to prevent its destruction by the gipsy moth; pile of 
logs in the foreground. (Original.) 

infested sections have afforded a large amount of relief from the injury 
which this insect causes. 

Each year more or less territory has been found infested by the 
gipsy moth where the pest was not previously known to exist, so that 
the territory now known to be infested covers in the aggregate about 
7,900 square miles. (See PI. XIII.) At a conservative estimate 
three-fourths of this area consists of wooded land, while the balance 
is made up of residential sections, orchards, and farm lands. While 
the States in the infested section and the United States Government 
have done much work in the residential sections and along some of the 
principal roadways, it has been impossible to inspect the large forest 
area so as to determine the present state of infestation. So long as 
some of these areas remain badly infested it is difficult to prevent 
further dissemination of the gipsy moth. The methods adopted of 
keeping roadways clear has undoubtedly been a factor in preventing 



76 



FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



many colonies from becoming established at distant points, but 
although nearly 250 miles of roadways have been treated in this man- 
ner in Massachusetts, there is still a very large mileage of trunk roads 
which can not bo given ])roper attention with the funds at hand. 
The need of more work in the infested area is very urgent, as this is 
tlie only possible way to ])revent the continued S]:>read of the insect 




Fig. 22.— Map of New England, showing areas infested by the brown-tail motli from 1897 to 1909. ( Original.) 

until the parasites and natural enemies which are being introduced 
have an opportunity to show their capacity for reducing the pest. 
The importance of the work against this insect extends beyond state 
lines or sectional lines and should receive the cordial support of all 
who are interested in agriculture, horticulture, "or forestry. 



THE MOKE IMPORTANT AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS. 77 

THE MORE IMPORTANT AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS ON THE GIPSY 
AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

1889. Fernald, C. II.— Ocneria dispar, Notes. <Sp(>(:. J5ul. Mass. Agr. Coll. Hatch 

Exp. Sta., pp. 3-8, figs. 4, November. 
1892. FoRBUSH, E. II., AND Fernald, C. II. — Special report of the state board of 

agriculture on the work of extermination of the Ocneria dispar or gypsy moth. 

<39th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. State Bd. Agr., 1891, pp. 287-312, pis. 5. Boston. 

1892. Fernald, C. II. — Report on insects. The gypsy moth (Ocneria dispar, L.). 

<Bul. 19, Mass. Agr. Coll. Hatch Exp. Sta., pp. 109-116. (Illustrated.) 

1893. FoRKusH, E. H., and Fernald, C. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of thegypsy moth.<40th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1892, pp. 259-297. (Illustrated.) Boston. 

1894. FoRBUsH, E. H., and Fernald, C. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of the gypsy moth.<41st Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1893, pp. 263-302, pis. 6, map. Boston. 

1895. FoRBusH, E. II., AND Fernald, C. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of thegypsy moth.<42d Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1894, pp. 235-270, pis. 5. Boston. 

1896. Forbush, E. II., and Fernald, C. II. — The gypsy moth. I'orUictria dispar 

(Linn.). Published under direction of the Massachusetts state board of agri- 
culture. Boston, pp. 495 and appendices pp. i-c, pis. 66, maps 5, figs. 

1896. Forbush, E. H., and Fernald, C. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of the gypsy moth.<43d Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1895, pp. 199-237, pis. 3. Boston. 

1897. r^ERNALD, C. IL, and Forbush, E. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of the gypsy moth.<44th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1896, pp. 349-433. (Illustrated.) Boston. 
1897. Howard, L. O.^ — The gipsy moth in America. <Bul. 11, new series, Div. P]nt., 
U. S. Dept. Agr., pp. 39, figs. 8. 

1897. Fernald, C. H., and Kirkland, A. H. — The brown-tail moth.<Si)ec. Bui. 

Mass. Agr. Coll. Hatch Exp. Sta., pp. 15, fig. 1, pis. 4. 

1898. Fernald, C. H., and Forbush, E. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of extermination of the gypsy moth.<45th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1897, pp. 305-439. (Illustrated.) Boston. 

1899. Fernald, C. II., and Forbush, E. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of exterminating the gypsy moth. <46th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1898, pp. 409-481, figs. 2, pis. 11. Boston. 

1900. Fernald, C. H., and Kirkland, A. H. — Report of the state board of agriculture 

on the work of exterminating thegypsy moth.<47th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. 
State Bd. Agr., 1899, pp. 339-388, pis. 7. Boston. 

1901. Report of the state board of agriculture on the work of extermination of the 

gypsy moth.<48th Ann. Rep. Sec. Mass. State Bd. Agr., 1900, pp. 353-369. 
Boston. 

1902. Report of committee on gypsy moth, insects and birds. <49th Ann. Rep. Sec. 

Mass. State Bd. Agr., pp. 313-31D. Boston. 

1903. Report of committee on gypsy moth, insects and birds. <50th Ann. Rep. Sec. 

Mass. State Bd. Agr., 1902, pp. 265-271, pi. 1. Boston. 
1903. Fernald, C. H., and Kirkland, A. H. — The brown-tail molh {Euproclis 

rhrysorrh(ra L.) Published l)y Massachusetts state board of agriculture. 

Boston, pp. 73, pis. 14. 
1905. Marlatt, C. L. — Report on thegypsy moth and the brown-tail moth, July, 

1904. <Cir. 58, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., pp. 12, pi. 1, map 1. 



78 FIELD WOKK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 

1905. Sanderson, E. D. — The gypsy moth in New Haini)t!hire.<Bul. 121, N. tl. 
Coll. Agr. Exp. Sta., pp. 81-104, figs. 11, December. 

1905. HiTCHiNGS, E. F. — The brown-tail moth in Maine. <Quarl. Bui. Maine Depl. 

Agr., vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 101-127, December. (Illustrated.) 
190(j. Britton, W. E. — The gypsy moth in Connecticut. <5th Rep. State Ent. Conn, 
f. 1905, pp. 246-252, figs. 2-6. 

1906. KiRKLAND, A. H. — First annual report of the Massachusetts superintendent 

for suppressing the gypsy and brown-lail moths. Public Document No. 73, 
January, 1906. Boston, pp. 161. 
1906. HiTCHiNGS, E. F. — Firsts annual report of the state entomologist on the brown- 
tail moth and other insect pests of the State of Maine, 1905, pp. 21. (Illus- 
trated.) 

1906. Felt, E. P.— The gypsy and brown-tail moths. <Bul. 103, N. Y. State Mus., 

pp. 20, pis. 10. 

1907. KiRKLAND, A. H. — Second annual report of the Massachusetts superintendent 

for suppressing the gypsy and brown-tail moths. Public Document No. 73, 

January, 1907. Boston, pp. 170. (Illustrated.) 
1907. H1TCHING.S, E. F. — The gypsy moth in Maine. <;2(1 Ann. Rep. State Ent . on the 

gypsy and brown-tail moths and other insect pests of the State of Maine, 1906, 

pp. 9-20, pi. 1, figs. 
1907. HiTCHiNGS, E. F. — Thehrown-Xnil moth {Euproctis chrisorrhoea) ■<C2d Ann. Rej). 

State Ent. on the gypsy and brown-tail moths and other insects pests of the 

State of Maine, pp. 21-26, fig. 6. 
1907. Stene, a. E. — Report of the Rhode Island commissioner for the suppression of 

the gypsy and brown-tail moths for the year 190(5. Providence, pp. 80, 

pis. 28. 

1907. Britton, W. E. — Gypsy moth work in Connecticut. <6lh Rep. State Ent. 

Conn. f. 1906, pp. 235-260, map, figs. 2-7, pis 3-10. 

1908. HiTCHiNGS, E. F. — Brown-tail and gypsy moths. <3d Ann. Rep. State Ent. on 

the gypsy and brown-tail moths and other insect pests of the State of Maine, 

1907, pp. 14-56, figs. 8-14, pis. 1, 6-20. 
1908. Stene, A. E. — Report of the Rhode Island superintendent for the suppression 

of the gypsy and brown-tail moths for the year 1907. Providence, pp. 52, 

figs. 2, pis. 10. 
1908. Britton, W. E. — Progress of the work of controlling the gypsy moth in Connecti- 
cut. 7th Rep. State Ent. Conn. f. 1907, pp. 300-312, pis. 7-13. 
1908. Britton, W. E. — The brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhuen Linn.).<;7th 

Rep. State Ent. Conn. f. 1907, pp. 313-318, figs. 1-4, pi. 14. 
1908. Sanderson, E. D. — The gipsy and brown tail moths in New Hampshire. <;Bul. 

136, N. H. Agr. Exp. Sta., pp. 156, figs. 34, February. ■ 

1908. KiRKLAND, A. H. — Third annual report of the Massachusetts superintendent 

for suppressing the gypsy and brown-tail moths. Public Document No. 73, 
January, 1908. Boston, pp. 228. (Illustrated.) 

1909. Britton, W. E. — Account of progress in suppressing the gypsy moth in Connecti- 

cut. <8th Rep. State Ent. Conn. f. 1908, pp. 772-777, pis. 42, 43. 
1909. Worthley, L. H. — Fourth annual report of the Massachusetts superintendent 
for suppressing the gypsy and brown-tail moths. Public Document No. 73, 
January, 1909. Boston, pp. 75. (Illustrated.) 



II^DEX 



Page. 

Apple, preferred food plant of ,2;ii)sy moth 14, 74 

Arsenate of lead against elm leaf-beetle 65 

gipsy moth 17, 40-41, 64-69 

Ash for reforesting purposes in district infested by gipsy moth 64 

practically immune from attack by gipsy moth 14, 74 

Bands, sticky, against the gipsy moth IS 

Birds, enemies of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 26, 27 

Brown-tail hairs, poisoning effect 24, 26 

moth, adults, description and life history 23, 24 

and gipsy moth field work by State of Massachusetts 47-49 

cost of methods emi)loyed 69-70 

experiments 60 62 

inspection of lumber and forest 

])roducts 57-60 

in the State of Connecticut 56-57.^ 

Maine 50-52 

New Hampshire . . . 53-54 

Rhode Island 54-56 

introduction to report 9 

suggestions to owners of i)rivate 

property in infested districts. . . 72-74 

value to farmer and fruit grower. . . 72 

danger of introduction from foreign countries 60-62 

discovery in America 20 

eggs, description and life history 21 

European history 21 

experimental work in control 62-63 

flight 23-24 

larva\ dcscri])tion and life history 21-22 

life history 21-24 

Massachusetts Act for suppressing it 31-35 

National work against it begun 37-47 

natural enemies native to America 26-27 

value 70-71 

outlook for control 74-76 

parasites and natural enemies, introduction 71 

publications in America treating of it 77-78 

pupse, description and life history 22-23 

winter webs 22 

"Brown-tail rash " 24-26 

Burlapping against the gipsy moth 17-18 

Burning and cutting against the gipsy moth 18 

79 



80 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIIi MOTHS. 

Page. 

Carabidte, enemies of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 27 

Cedar, red, practically immune from attack by gipsy moth 14 

"Cholera " of gipsy-moth caterpillars 70-71 

Conifers, food plants of gipsy moth 14 

Corn, food plant of gipsy moth 14 

Creosote against gipsy moth egg-masses 19-20, 41, 43 

Crow, factor in dissemination of gipsy moth 27 

Cutting and burning against gipsy moth 18 

Dipterous parasites of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 27 

Elm leaf-beetle, arsenate of lead as remedy 65 

Empusa aulicae, fungus enemy of brown-tail caterpillars 70 

Euproctis chrysorrhoea. {See Brown-tail moth.) 

"Flacherie" affecting larvae of gipsy moth 70-71 

Forest products and lumber, inspection against gi])sy moth and brown-tail 

moth 57-60 

Fungous disease of brown-tail caterpillars 70 

Galcrucella luteola. {See Elm leaf-beetle.) 

Garden crops, sometimes eaten by gipsy moth caterpillars 14 

Gipsy moth, adults, description and life history 16 

and brown-tail moth field work by State of Massachusetts 47-49 

cost of methods employed 69-70 

experiments 60-62 

inspection of lumber and forest 

products 57-60 

in the State of Connecticut 56-57 

Maine 50-52 

New Ilampshire. . 53-54 

Rhode Island 54-56 

intnxluction to report 9 

suggestions to owners of private 

property in infested districts. . . 72-74 
value to farmer and fruit grower. 72 
c-onditions in infested territory at close of Massachusetts state 

work, 1900 29 

danger of introduction from foreign countries 60-62 

egg clusters, method of destruction 19 

eggs, description and life history 12 

experimental work in control 62r63 

importance as an insect pest in this country 9-10 

introduction and spread in this country 9-10 

larvae, description and life history 13-15 

in younger stages can not eat pine 62-63 

life history 12-16 

Massachusetts Act for suppressing it. .- 31-35 

methods formerly employed in work against it 16-20 

now used in fighting it 63-70 

National work against it begun 37-47 

natural enemies native to America 26-27 

value 70-71 

outlook for control 74-76 

parasites and natural enemies, introduction 71 

publications in America treating of it 77-78 

pupae, description and life history 15 



INDEX. 81 

Page. 

Gipsy moth, record of it in its native home 11-12 

state work against it in Massachusetts, 1890-1900 11 

discontinuance 28-29 

discontinuance, results 30-31 

funds expended 29 

progress made 27-28 

resumption 31-37 

Grass, sometimes eaten by gipsy moth caterpillars 14 

Hemlock, food plant of gipsy moth 15 

Hickory for reforesting purposes in district infested by gipsy moth 74 

Hymenopterous parasites of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 27 

Insect enemies of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth native to America 26-27 

Juniper, practically immune from attack by gipsy moth 14 

Lumber and forest products, inspection against gipsy moth and brown-tail 

moth 57-60 

Maple for reforesting purposes in district infested by gipsy moth 74 

not a preferred food plant of gipsy moth 14, 74 

Oak, preferred food plant of gipsy moth 14 

Ocneria dispar. (5ee Gipsy moth.) 

Orchards, proper treatment in districts infested by gipsy moth and brown-tail 

moth 73 

Pentatomidae, enemies of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 27 

Pine for reforesting purposes in districts infested by gipsy moth 74 

not eaten by small gipsy moth caterpillars 62-63, 74 

white, food plant of gipsy moth 14-15 

Porthetria dispar. (See Gipsy moth.) 

Pruning against gipsy moth 19 

Scouting against gipsy moth 16-17 

Sparrow, English, enemy of brown-tail moth 24 

Spraying against gipsy moth 17 

improvements in machinery 63 

outfits now used 65-68 

Spruce, food plant of gipsy moth 15 

Tanglefoot, use against gipsy moth 39^0, 63-64 

Toad, enemy of gipsy moth and brown-tail moth 27 

Willows, preferred food plants of gipsy moth 14 

"Wilt," disease of gipsy moth caterpillars 70-71 

o 

40705°— Bull. 87—10 6 



